Maleficent Kitsune
by VFSNAKE
Summary: Combo of classic and new version of the woman. Maleficent didn't die like the three Good Fairies thought she did at the hands of Prince Phillip with his Sword of Truth. Instead, she was locked in a form of slumber for years. Never to be seen or heard from again. Until one day MANY years later when a boy wondering the Forest of Death appears and removes the sword. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-Her Return

A six year old Naruto quickly crawled through a hole in the chain link fence surrounding what many ninja of his village of Konoha called Training Ground 44 A.K.A. The Forest of Death. The blonde haired, blue eyed, and whisker faced boy was running for his life from a mob of people. Some were drunk and angry. Some were sober, yet angry all the same. They had done this on several different occasions. Mostly on his birthday when the Kyuubi Festival was happening and the people were celebrating the death of the Biju who attacked them six years ago on October 10th.

While tonight wasn't his birthday, it didn't stop the different people within Konoha from banding together to lash out at him. This particular day was when the mean old Matron of the Orphanage decided Naruto had lived there long enough. She kicked him out with only the clothing on his back and told Naruto that "Demons like him didn't have any business living here with all of the good, descent, and pure children worthy of being adopted by other families." before slamming the door in his face.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say to that, but his mind seemed to think it would be words a kid his age shouldn't say to a grown up, or out loud for a grown up to hear.

If Naruto did know such a word, chances are it would start with a "b", and rhyme with the word witch.

Within mere minutes of his departure from the Orphanage, a mob seemed to converge his way, intent on crushing the boy before he had a chance to locate a safe place to crawl to, and hide from those seeking his head on a pike. Naruto being no stranger to mobs by that point, had run as fast as his little feet could carry him, and it was only thanks to his secret tenant along with his Uzumaki genetics in having a lot of stamina did he out run them.

With the chase ultimately leading Naruto here to this location.

Running into the Forest of Death, Naruto hid behind the nearest massive tree he could find once the view of the fence behind him was far out of sight. Falling onto the ground, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, his heart slowly returning to normal, and waited to see if anyone had dared to follow him into this supposedly scary place. He had heard whispers about it in passing by ninja. How no one except the really skilled and strong could enter with permission from old man Hokage due to the equally whispered dangers lurking here.

Still...how bad could it be? Surely the creatures living here weren't as bad or as worse as the people trying to hurt him? Right?!

Deciding to explore the area a little bit, (in the off chance he would need to come back here again) Naruto walked through the Forest of Death, and finding it to be...quite nice. The Forest of Death seemed to radiate life in a way he felt was just awesome and felt at home in this place though for reasons the boy did not know. As Naruto walked through the area, the ground gave way around a small cliff of sorts, and he stumbled downward to the lower grassy section that was once below him.

Shaking his head a bit once he sat fully upright, the blonde saw an old darkened sword piercing the ground, and the ground itself where the sword was had a dark ink like splat of sorts there. Curious, as only a boy like Naruto could be at his age, the blonde haired Uzumaki grabbed the hilt of the sword, and struggled to pull it out of the ground.

It was a very heavy sword from the weight of it, but Naruto was determined to get it out of the ground, and take it to the old man to show him what he found. After a few minutes of almost pointless struggle, the blonde finally got the darkened sword out of the ground, but no sooner did that happen, the sword crumbled into nothing, and almost made the boy cry at the loss. He had worked so hard to get that sword out of the ground! It wasn't fair!

His thoughts on the matter were ruined when dark ink stain on the ground suddenly came alive, spewing green fire, and dread to all things around it. Animals, insects, and anything else in the general area of this dark thing ran for their lives. None of them wanted to face this dark creature that had been awakened and clearly very angry.

_**"I LIVE AGAIN!"**_ yelled an angry and female voice that made the heavens tremble and the ground quake with her power echoing throughout the entire area.

All Naruto could do was stare in awe and fear.

'Wow!' thought Naruto, as he stared at this person radiating power before him, and saw it was a woman wearing all black with a pair of horns on her head to match while wielding a long staff in her left hand.

"To think that sword made by those wretched fairies would be able to do that to me. They were clearly more skilled and smarter then I gave them credit for," remarked the woman to herself before she turned her head to look at her surroundings, seeing she was in a very strange forest of sorts, and finally noticed the strange blonde haired boy a few feet away.

"H-Hello," whispered Naruto while waving weakly at her.

In an instant, the woman's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she was upon the boy like a shadowy wraith. She grabbed the boy and looked him dead in the eyes, piercing them with her gaze to stare into his soul. The woman didn't know why she reacted the way she was right now, but the blonde haired boy reminded the dark witch of a young Princess put under a spell of eternal sleep. Not only that, but the energy radiating from him was massive, and there seemed to be an even greater one behind it.

"What are you? Who are you? How are you here? SPEAK!" commanded the dark witch with the boy now looking horrified at making this powerful person angry just by being here.

It was the villagers all over again!

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm a boy! I live in Konoha! We are in forest located around it!" answered Naruto quickly while she held his shirt and he dangled there while moving his feet a little.

Frowning at the boy's words and language being different, the witch sent some of her power she still had, and launched a small spell at Naruto's face. The spell hit him hard and he sputtered from the spell turning into a smoke of sorts he was forced to inhale. Before he could ask her what he did, the witch commanded him to repeat his answer to the previous questions she demanded of him.

And he did. Which caused the witch to sigh in frustration.

"I know that you are boy you twit! I mean what are you in terms of a species. No human should have this much energy running through their body. I can feel and even see it with my own two eyes. You are overflowing with power! And what do you mean by you are from Konoha? Where is this Konoha?" questioned the witch with Naruto explaining to her as best he could about the village nearby and what the people there did.

"That's all I know. I swear!" exclaimed Naruto in the hopes it would pacify the woman's anger.

As for the witch herself, she narrowed her eyes further, curiosity over what had happened since the Prince had thrown in sword at her draconic. It seemed the sword had not killed her like the fairies had hoped. Rather, it had weakened her enough to be sent into a long, and distant slumber while time moved with cultures changing. That damned naive Prince Phillip had thrown his magical sword at her at the instance of those damned idiot fairies. They along with King Stefan had convinced the Prince that she was evil due to what had happened with Princess Aurora being cursed on her first birthday.

Okay. Maybe that was her fault. But it wasn't like she didn't try to correct it later in the future after interacting with the child as she grew. Out of all the powers that be, it was her own ironically enough that helped the Princess live to become a 16 year old Princess. Those idiot fairies did a horrible job of watching the girl from the start. Twits and idiots who didn't know the first thing about raising children.

As for the Princess herself, she had wormed herself into the witch's heart as she grew, and the dark entity that had placed the curse itself on her had even tried to remove it in secret. Sadly and ironically enough, the dark witch's spell itself used to create the curse prevented said dark witch from taking it away. When the curse was cast, the dark witch had declared that _no power in the world_ could remove the curse, and by that decree alone prevented even the dark witch herself from releasing it from Princess Aurora.

And things spiraled out of control from there.

Soon came the Prince, followed by the fairies interfering as they usually did in the most stupidest of ways, and then King Stefan trying to play her off as the villain. _Her_! As if she was always the big bad villain. No. There was a time when the dark witch had been a kind creature of nature and loved everything around her.

Before a human came into her territory. Before a certain man who would become a King had betrayed her in order to gain access to the throne of his greedy predecessor. A throne he gained through stabbing her in the back, in the heart, and ripping off her wings in the process. At the time the curse was placed on the Princess, the dark witch had felt justified in her actions since he had betrayed her for the seat of power when one ruled a kingdom. The dark witch, who was once the most powerful of fairies had been betrayed by this man, and he was having a celebration over the birth of his daughter. Normally, she would not have come to such an event, even if they had invited her, but the sad truth was...they didn't even make the attempt.

That was rude.

"Umm...could you please put me down Miss," pleaded Naruto with the dark witch now refocusing her mind back to the boy in her hand.

"My _name_ child is _Maleficent_. And I am not someone to be crossed. Understand?" said Maleficent with Naruto nodding.

"I do Maleficent-sama," replied Naruto with Maleficent raising an eyebrow at the suffix, but from what her spell translated in her mind was that such an addition to her name was one of respect.

And she honestly liked it. Maleficent-sama had a certain..._ring_ to it.

"Good. Now, from what I have sensed, your body is quite unique in terms of generating a lot of energy. More then you should have and I sense an additional power locked away. As it stands, my power is not what it once was due to being locked away as I was by that magic sword, and I need time to regain my lost strength. Fortunately, you have the energy I want, and need to regain what I lost. It might even make me stronger," replied Maleficent with Naruto frowning at her.

"You mean my char-ka?" asked Naruto since he only heard the name of the energy she was referring to, but only in passing, and never heard the proper term for it due to the whispery way it was spoken around him.

"Yes child. Whatever you call the energy, it is my means of becoming strong again. I need your help," said Maleficent with the boy looking surprisingly happy at the news.

"You need my help? But...no one has ever wanted my help. Most people do is call me names and try to hurt me," replied Naruto with hope, yet sadness in his voice.

"Really? The adults hurt a child like yourself? Just for existing? Now why would they do that? Do you know why?" asked Maleficent curiously before putting the boy down.

"No. They sometimes call me 'demon', 'monster', or 'Kyuubi brat' with this hateful look in their eyes. They tried to hurt me on my birthday a few times too," said Naruto with the dark witch in front of him frowning further.

"And you let them? You do not use this power I sense against them?" asked Maleficent with Naruto shaking his head.

"I have to run away. I don't know how to use this power you say I have. No one has ever taught me about such things. I'm an orphan. I just got kicked out of the orphanage earlier today before I ran here and removed that sword you mentioned," explained Naruto with Maleficent looking surprised by this and decided to probe this matter further after she sat down on a giant rock not that far away.

"Most curious. Come here child. Let me have a proper look at you," replied Maleficent sweetly now before patting her lap and motioned for the boy to obey.

Not seeing a reason to ignore the request, Naruto did just that.

With a help of Maleficent's magic, she elevated Naruto off the ground, and onto her lap with ease before putting him to sleep while using that same magic to examine the boy in her own way. It would also help explain why she suddenly felt such incredible power residing within this blonde haired child.

What she sensed from him astounded and horrified Maleficent.

First, the boy's body was anything but healthy right now. Clearly malnourished from the lack of eating. Or the possibility of the child eating unhealthy things. She believed him now when he said people had tried to hurt him in the past. The boy had quite the list of physical injuries on his body despite them healing and not showing up by normal means of detection. However, her magic running over the boy easily told her about every past injury Naruto had sustained, what time it happened, and practically down to the most likely object capable of doing it. The boy had been hit with hammers, clubs, stabbed by swords, and other pointy stabbing weapons. The images were all appearing on the orb at the top of her staff, showing what hit where on Naruto's body, and found the long list to be surprisingly disturbing.

Thankfully, _that_ was the horrifying part she discovered about Naruto.

As for the astounding part...

Someone had actually sealed a living entity into him. A powerful one. A creature of such incredible power that it far surpassed her of all people. Even at her best, Maleficent could not hope to match this power at its weakest, and felt the creature stirring with an intense rage filled malice deep within Naruto. And while imprisoned in the boy, Maleficent could see it was having its power being sent through the strange network that ran through the child's system. It was impressive to say the least that the boy had his own vast power deep within his body and even more impressive he didn't explode from having a much larger secondary power locked inside of him.

This child was something special in his own way.

Just like Aurora.

If Maleficent knew one thing, it was seeing just how special certain people were, and this boy was indeed special. Aurora had softened her heart as the years went by and truly did regret putting the curse on the poor girl. Even worse at being forced to confess it to the girl when Aurora had asked if what those three stupid twits for fairies told the Princess about what had happened on the day of her first birthday celebration.

The only real joy she gained from the tragedy that followed was the fact she killed the stupid King in the end in her dragon form. She had intended to bring the Prince to Aurora to break her curse on the girl, but the Prince had listened to the fairies in using that damn magical sword. "Throw it!" one of them said. "End her!" they said.

She had nothing against Prince Phillip. He truly did love Aurora. That much was clear during all the fighting and confusion of who was the enemy during the chaos of it all. With any luck, Aurora was able to see the truth, and forgive her much..._darker_ Fairy Godmother after she woke up from that brief slumber caused by the curse.

Maleficent hoped Aurora was happy in life with Prince Phillip.

"Hmmm...Kaa-san," whispered Naruto, as he snuggled deeper into the woman's black form, and surprised Maleficent in being called Mother in his native tongue.

"Me? A Mother. The closet I came to that was with Princess Aurora. Do I event want to try again with this one?" asked Maleficent to herself while she gently stroked the boy's blonde hair while Naruto tried his hardest to snuggle deep into Maleficent's form.

"Don't leave me Kaa-san. I'm not a monster. I'm not a demon. Please don't abandon me!" whimpered Naruto while he grabbed onto her dress and made the woman's eyes soften slightly.

This child was clearly denied love by the very village he lived in. If she had to guess, it was in connection to the creature inside of him. Possibly by someone within the village itself. It made Maleficent question just how powerful humans have truly become in her absence from the world? And how did they get such power? Were there more like Naruto here with such beasts sealed within them? If so, then how many? Were they treated the same? Or differently?

Either way, Maleficent realized that had to decide what to do next now that her person was free to roam the world.

'Still, I'm not strong enough. Years of being pinned by that damn sword have done their work well. But this boy. This boy's power and the beast within him can restore it. It will take a little while, but nothing I can't handle given the right location where no one would seek me out. No! Seek _us_ out,' thought Maleficent while smiling gently down at the poor boy sleeping soundly with his head on her lap.

She would take the child with her. Maleficent would adopt this boy and call him her own.

But first...she had to remove the two masked ninja spying on her.

Maleficent slammed her staff down once on the ground and her power spread out around the woman with the trees coming alive. The two ninja in question watching the woman were shocked when the trees around them suddenly came alive, bound the two of them in their limbs, and approached the dark witch currently smiling a cruel smile at them.

"So these are ninja. I'll admit, you are impressive in your own right. While your energies are not up to the level Naruto here possesses, they are more...refined. I imagine you train to control your energies to be used in moderation. To last longer to be more precise," said Maleficent calmly while she continued to run her fingers through the sleeping boy's hair unafraid of the two caught in her extended magical grasp.

"You are in the domain of Konoha in Fire Country and holding one of its citizens in your grasp. Identify yourself or face the consequences!" commanded the female of the two ninja currently wearing a snake ANBU mask along with the black pants, shirt, vest, and guards to match her standard ANBU uniform.

With the addition of a tan trench coat on due to the kunoichi wanting to look more badass when people saw her.

"Fire Country? Oh my! Time certainly has gone by since my time in this world. Though I do question why you are here? Clearly not for me. This boy perhaps?! This poor, abused, malnourished, and ultimately misguided boy? Or rather...for what he holds inside of his body?" questioned Maleficent with both ANBU stiffening in the limbs of the trees that held them.

"She knows," remarked the male wearing a weasel mask in a stoic tone.

"Of course I know. After the boy told me how he was treated, it was only fair I use my power to satisfy my curiosity regarding the reason behind such hatred. Imagine my own surprise when I learned someone had sealed a powerful entity of incredible power within this child. Either they were doing something very noble or very cruel when they selected little Naruto here for the task. I can only imagine it was the latter given how your village has treated this child like filth one would have underneath their shoes. Or whatever you have for footwear these days," replied Maleficent while seeing the two ANBU looking at each other and then back at her.

"What do you want with Naruto? Do you want him for the Kyuubi?" asked the female ANBU with Maleficent letting out an amused chuckle.

"Kyuubi? Oh! So _that_ is the creature's name? Or maybe its a title? It sounds more like a title to me. But regardless, I have no real interest in the creature locked inside of the boy. Removing it will only kill the child I imagine. All that power ripped out of him would just destroy his body in a way no one would dare imagine. It would be like being set on fire from the inside out only one thousand times worse and would feel three times more painful. No. That is the last thing Naruto needs right now while traveling throughout the lands. Especially...from his newly declared Mother," replied Maleficent with the ANBU looking at her in shock at this news and tried to get free.

"You cannot adopt him! Or take him with you!" declared the male of the two ANBU with the weasel mask while Maleficent let out a chuckle of amusement.

"Oh dear. You seem to be under the impression that either of you two could stop me if you tried. You can't," remarked Maleficent while her amusement left and her tone of voice was now ice cold.

The two ANBU could actually see their breath coming out of their masks.

"He is an important part of Konoha. The Kyuubi aside, Uzumaki Naruto is part of an important legacy, and heritage beyond your comprehension," said the weasel masked ANBU while trying to analyze what he was seeing with his Dojutsu behind the facial covering.

All he saw was dark chakra. Dark greenish chakra. In fact, he noticed that some of boy's chakra was seeping from his body into her in small doses. And not just Naruto's either.

But the Kyuubi's too.

He was unknowingly feeding her chakra.

"I have no doubt he does have an important legacy. I have seen it in his eyes. The boy will walk a path of greatness. He has a great destiny in front of him. Greater then any I have ever known. But this village will never allow him to reach his full potential. Or even give him a chance to fulfill it since they will see him as a threat to their positions of so called power. Am I wrong?" surmised Maleficent with both ANBU in front of her being silent for a moment.

Though their silence told her enough.

"Even still, we cannot allow you to take him from Konoha. His surrogate Mother or not," stated the male ANBU while trying to figure out how to get free from his bindings.

"As if you had the power to stop me," countered Maleficent while she still watched them with an air of calmness in her eyes.

"You underestimate us and our abilities. It will be your undoing here," said the ANBU with the weasel mask calmly before he turned into a flock of crows.

'Interesting. Someone who has a connection to the crows. It reminds me of my poor pet and servant. Such a competent subordinate. So loyal. It is a shame one of those accursed fairies turned him into stone. Still, this gives me an idea on how to survive longer in this world. Not to mention I will need to ensure my new son is strong enough to stand on his own two feet when he is older,' thought Maleficent while sensing the male ANBU behind her lurking in the shadows with a sword in hand.

'How can this strange woman be so calm? Weasel is moving in right behind her with his sword at the ready to strike her down and she acts like nothing is amiss,' thought the snake ANBU, as she saw the woman just smile with amusement at the whole situation, and not a trace of fear in her eyes.

"Your stealth and mastery of moving in the shadows is impressive young ninja. But when it comes to all things of the dark, _I_ am its true Master," remarked Maleficent, as she hit the ground with the butt of her staff, and froze the male ANBU in _mid-air_ before she had him floating a few feet in front of her.

"How can you do this? How can you use chakra in such a way?" asked the ANBU while Maleficent raised an eyebrow at him.

"Chakra? So that is what you call this energy running through your bodies. Interesting. Naruto pronounced it differently though given his age, I imagine he was not told how to say it properly. I would be impressed if he even knew how to read and write. Given how people hate the boy so much in your village...I highly doubt it. And that my dear ninjas is most..._upsetting_ to me" remarked Maleficent while she eyed the male ANBU with a cold smile that made the man nervous.

This was a smile that promised pain to those she deemed worthy of such an act.

"So what are you going to do with us? If we don't return soon, our leader the Sandaime Hokage will send more, and I highly doubt someone as powerful as you can handle an entire army of ninja," said the snake ANBU with Maleficent's smile lessening a bit at the idea of facing so many of these ninja and their leader.

Maleficent was not arrogant enough to believe her power could take on this entire nearby village of ninja since there was quite a lot of them from what she could easily sense. Not to mention the leader of the village, if what the level of this chakra she could sense was to go by, was up there with Naruto's current level if not a little bit higher. Not to mention this Sandaime Hokage as these two referred the leader of the Konoha, was more then likely the most skilled ninja of them all, and would push Maleficent to the brink with her given level of strength. Still, she couldn't let these two leave here to report back, and the former Queen of the Fairies had no doubt the little army of ninja in Konoha would be coming here anyway after they failed to do so in the first place.

Maleficent needed a plan and it just so happened one had come to her mind the moment she saw weasel turn into a flock of crows to escape her temporary tree minion's branch.

"What am I going to do with you? Excellent question my dear. I could just kill you. A simple flick of my wrist and neither of you would exist further in this world. But why do that? Not when I am in need of some subordinates. Not to mention instructors for my new son in the ways of the ninja," replied Maleficent with both ANBU looking shocked by this.

"As if we would ever willingly serve you and betray Konoha!" exclaimed the snake ANBU angrily with Maleficent smirking at her.

"Willingly? Silly girl, I never said you would be serving me willingly. No. I have a far better idea in mind," remarked Maleficent before she aimed her staff at the male ANBU first and shot a blast of her magic at him.

And to horror of the snake ANBU...her partner in this mission to retrieve Naruto had been turned into a crow with the ANBU mask falling to the ground. The now former Konoha ANBU ninja was struggling to fly before hitting the ground. What was even more interesting and horrifying to the snake ANBU was she saw the man now turned crow flying onto Maleficent's shoulder.

The crow's eyes were crimson with three tomoes.

"What did you do to him?" demanded the snake ANBU in horror at what she just saw.

"I thought it was obvious dear. I turned him into my new crow. My old one was turned to stone a long time ago. I didn't have time to reverse the effects of the spell used following that and given how long I have been away...he is more then likely lost to me. Given your fellow ninja's connection to the crows, I thought it fitting he should become one, and use his new power to serve me. Just as you will my dear," replied Maleficent before covering the snake ANBU in her magic and saw the mask fall from the woman's face.

"I won't let you. I won't be used by another again. Not after last time!" exclaimed the now terrified woman with tears in her eyes and struggling harder to break free.

Hearing this, Maleficent frowned at what the woman meant, and sensed there was more to this woman then she first thought. Putting the woman to sleep, the dark witch gently put Naruto on a pillow she conjured up, and the former fairy looked for the irregularity she sensed in the woman in front of her now on the ground. After placing a single finger on the woman's back, Maleficent was able to identify the source to be some kind of foul energy or _chakra_ as it were located along the neck area. Who or whatever created this was using a nature in a crude manner, barbaric even from what she could sense, and had even had the _nerve_ to leave a piece of its _soul_ in the woman's body.

How perverse.

Frowning further, Maleficent touched the seal on the woman's neck, and instantly felt the dark foul thing behind the seal trying to take some of her power. It was like a leech in its attempts if there ever was one. Fortunately, the thing was unsuccessful due to being too damn weak to take what did not belong to it, and the simple fact Maleficent was also too powerful for this thing to drain from the start.

"So you are the little beasty making this woman's life miserable. I can only imagine she wears this snake mask to hide her identity in order to live a moderate life in her village. Though that can only last for so long. Having you here if I make her my new pet like this one may hurt me in the future. I can't have that. Still...how to get rid of you?" whispered Maleficent curiously before she had an idea and attacked the seal on the woman with her magic in a way that removed the foul soul within it.

And ultimately reformatted the seal itself. Transforming it so the woman was bound to Maleficent herself instead of the create who gave this poor woman this mark.

Once complete, Maleficent spun her right index finger in a circle, and turned the woman into a long python like snake. It seemed rather appropriate in a sense due to the ANBU mask this woman had worn and the connection the dark witch sensed was to the snakes in a way similar to how the other had a connection to the crows. Waking his new pet up, the snake looked around, then at Maleficent before its eyes glazed over for a second with the snake eyes glowing with green magical fire. When it past, the snake gave the dark witch a nod of understanding, and slithered up her free arm.

"Kaa-san?" asked Naruto in a whispered tone while rubbing his eyes in a sleepy manner and wondered if it was just a dream that the woman he just met had adopted her like she did in his dreams.

Until he looked over to see Maleficent looking over and smiling at him.

"Yes my son?" asked Maleficent sweetly while watching the boy's eyes light up at being called her son.

"Um...what are you going to do now? I mean...now that you're my Kaa-san? Do you want to go into the village and speak to the Hokage?" asked Naruto curiously while Maleficent smile gently at the boy, who seemed to be oblivious to the new addition of the crow on her shoulder, and snake on her right arm.

"As tempting as it would be to speak to the leader of the village, something tells me the idea of being your Mother would be most unpleasant for him my son. I decided while you were sleeping that the best choice for us at the moment is to travel through the world and see what I have missed since my time away," replied Maleficent while Naruto frowned, not in anger at not going back to Konoha, but rather over the simple fact she didn't trust the Hokage.

But why? The old man was nice! He protected him from some of the meaner mobs in the past and was sure to set things right if told what happened earlier with the current mob.

Still, the idea of making his new Mother angry, and have her leave him simply for even questioning her decision on the matter kept the boy from speaking out. His new Mother seemed to know something he did not and wasn't about to question the clearly wiser person between the two of them.

"Okay. Still, do you think we could visit Konoha sometime in the future? Or maybe leave some kind of note to explain everything? That way he doesn't have to worry about me and send some of his ninja after us!" offered Naruto since his idea wasn't questioning his Mother's decision _and_ it would keep the Hokage from being mad.

Everyone wins!

Maleficent smiled at her naive son, but inwardly she was angry at the idea of this leader of Konoha having such an influence on her new son. The boy wasn't questioning her per se in terms of what she wanted to do. He was just offering some new that would appease all parties with minimal conflict. It was the makings of a good ruler and kind man who cared for his people, which was a much different way of ruling then King Stefan when he ruled over his kingdom. The man had played himself off as a kind King, but many had known otherwise, and only tolerated him out of fear as well as the hope the man's newly born daughter would inherit her Mother's gentle nature when it came to ruling.

It was a shame for Maleficent since she never got to see if that happened or not.

"Tell you what Naruto, I will have my pet crow here leave the Hokage a small message for him once we settle down somewhere safe. Someplace where both of us can settle down and I can regain our strength. Remember, I just woke up from a long nap, and my strength has declined during my slumber. The people in your village, who do not like you will try to take it there anger out on me, and I cannot guarantee your safety if they try," explained Maleficent with Naruto's eyes going wide in horror.

"T-They...They would really do that?" asked Naruto fearfully with Maleficent nodding at her son.

"In a heartbeat my child. There is more then one way to hurt someone as you well know and not all of them are through hurting someone directly. There are other indirect ways to hurt someone," replied Maleficent while thinking of how she targeted Aurora in order to get to King Stefan for betraying her years prior to becoming King.

"But...I don't want them to hurt you!" exclaimed Naruto fearfully while running up to the woman and holding onto her tightly as if she would suddenly vanish from his sight.

"Nor do I my child. Which is why I need to go somewhere else. Somewhere with you where the two of us can grow stronger in order to repel such threats to our person," said Maleficent while putting a gentle hand on the blonde haired boy.

"Okay. But...where can we go that will allow us to be safe?" asked Naruto curiously since he didn't know anything about the outside world and was pretty sure his Mother didn't know either given how she had been pinned down by that sword for so long.

"That's what traveling is for my son. We will know the right place when we find it. In the meantime, I will see to it that you are properly taught the way of the ninja and what you will need to know in order to survive in this world," answered Maleficent with Naruto looking exceedingly happy at this news.

"Really? But...how will you train me?" asked Naruto with joy and slight confusion.

"I will not be training you personally my boy. That will be left to your instructors here," said Maleficent, as she used her magic to turn the crow, and the snake into their human forms again.

"That was insane!" exclaimed the woman with short purple spiky hair.

"Indeed. Turning into an animal like that and back is...unreal," remarked the stoic male, but it was clear he was unnerved by it just as his female ninja was too.

It made the ability to henge look like a joke!

"Wow! That was so awesome!" exclaimed Naruto while ignoring the discomfort the two ninja were in over the fact they had been turned into animals and back into humans.

Maleficent just let out an amused chuckle.

"Indeed. Now I believe introductions are in order. You first dear boy," replied Maleficent with the young adult male with black hair looked at her for a second of defiance before his eyes were washed over with a greenish black energy for a moment.

"Uchiha Itachi. Eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Head," replied Itachi before bowing his head slightly with the spell to comply obedience in him kicking in.

"And you?" asked Maleficent while pointing to the young woman roughly the same age as the Uchiha.

"Mitarashi Anko. Former student to the now infamous Missing Nin Orochimaru of the Sannin," answered Anko while she felt her Mistress's power in the new seal and felt the overwhelming presence compelling the woman to obey any command given by the dark robed woman.

"Good. From here on out, the two of you will obey me from now on. My word is final and absolute. Disobedience will not be tolerated. You two will be my eyes, ears, and an extension of my strength. You will also be training Naruto in the ninja arts. Everything you know that he can learn will be taught. Should a time come when I am not around to command either of you for something important, my son will have secondary authority, and you will obey him in my absence," commanded Maleficent with both ninja nodding and bowing to the woman.

"We understand Maleficent-sama," said Itachi and Anko at the same time.

"Excellent. Now we should take our leave before more ninja come and I have to exert more of my power. Not something I need right now. Tell me Itachi-san, are there any kingdoms without ninja villages such as Konoha in them?" questioned Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"Yes, but they are but a small handful, and even then some have minor Shinobi villages that are formed there from several clans coming together to form them. Konoha is one of the five major Shinobi villages in all of the Elemental Countries.. When country does hire ninja or a group, it is generally from a village like Konoha, or one of the other remaining major four villages due to their unique strength. It all really depends on the location and the client," explained Itachi with Maleficent nodding in understanding.

"I see. Very interesting. And are there any current 'countries' without a ninja village all together near Konoha?" questioned Maleficent with Itachi thinking for a moment in thought before nodding.

"Just one. It is Wave Country. It is a group of islands closely knit together with natural resources on everyone of the different islands in the area. It relies heavily on ships for transport and trade," said Itachi since he had traveled on missions and heard different things about places from people in passing.

"I see. I take it the natives there keep to themselves?" questioned Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"As long as those coming into the country do not cause them any trouble, the citizens of Wave Country tend to ignore what goes on around them. More of a live let live way of doing things," answered Itachi with Maleficent nodding with a smile on her face.

"Excellent! We shall go there at once," replied Maleficent before turning Itachi back into a crow and Anko into a snake with the two taking up residence on her body.

"Kaa-san, would you turn me into an animal like you did Itachi-san, or like Anko-san?" asked Naruto curiously with Maleficent smiling at the boy.

"Maybe in the future Naruto, but not right now," replied Maleficent with Naruto pouting a little at being denied the opportunity of changing into an animal.

For some reason he saw himself being turned into a fox.

"Okay," replied Naruto in a depressing tone before he felt his new Mother's hand on his shoulder.

"None of that my son. We have a lot of traveling to do and are running short on time," scolded Maleficent with Naruto nodding since his Mother clearly knew what she was talking about.

"Okay. Let's go to Wave Country!" exclaimed Naruto happily with the woman in front of him that was his new Mother smiling gently and Maleficent offered the boy her hand to which the child had taken without question.

The path these two would walk would shift things considerably throughout the Elemental Countries.

(A/N: YAY! A new fic for you guys. For those of you wondering, this Maleficent will be a combo of the classic, and the new version of her. Sometimes she will be cruel. Others will be nice. The back story for her is a combo of both stories we all know and equally love. Remember, in the classic version, you see the sword that kills Maleficent turns dark, and after Prince Phillips looks at her corpse. You also see Maleficent's body goes from a dragon to a shadowy ink stain so who is to say that Maleficent wasn't sealed by the sword rather then killed. Hope that makes sense. Until next time...PEACE!)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Monoarch of Wave

Maleficent and her little group made their way slowly to Wave Country with one of ease and grace befitting one of royalty. Granted, she could easily use her magic to transport them to the coast where Wave Country was located, but it would drain her considerably, and might need that strength in the near future. These days, from what Anko or Itachi had told her at night when resting, the world no longer had knights guarding Kings, but rather samurai watching over Daimyos of their respected lands. The names may have changed by the duties both had were the same. The only difference were ninja. Who would have thought such a concept could be so useful in terms of a group of people who were used to be agents of the shadows for their country? To see what normally wasn't seen. To hear what was deaf to others? To do what others did not have the heart or courage to do when taking a life?

Among other things.

During that time, Maleficent did her best to educate Naruto, and had her two subordinates pick up most of the slack in shifts. Itachi would fly off in his crow form to scout the area on occasion while Anko would teach Naruto the basics a child like him needed to know at a young age. Anko herself would hunt for food when it was Itachi's turn to teach the boy, but neither minded since Naruto was eager to learn. It was still difficult to teach such an energetic child, even one like Naruto given his Uzumaki genetics, but Anko as well as Itachi managed. They immediately found out that the boy excelled at learning when using actual examples and explaining things using hypothetical events.

Maleficent watched her two subordinates with sharp eyes when they were teaching young Naruto, ensuring that her spells on them were indeed holding, and was pleased in seeing that they did. Given the nature of the world with this chakra energy being apart of it, the chance of her spells breaking was still a possibility so she would check on its hold from time to time. The now truly happy boy was so eager to learn from them that he never once complained, even when a child his age should have at some point during the lessons taught.

"We are here. Wave Country is just beyond these waters," explained Itachi while pointing to the distance land mass barely visible from where they were.

"Is there a harbor nearby for us to take a ship?" asked Maleficent with Itachi shaking his head.

"Sadly no. Wave Country has a fear of invasion by sea so all ports in this area are located and controlled on the island. The only way to get to Wave Country is by boat and you have to take one controlled by someone from the country itself. The boats only stay here on the mainland for a short time though," answered Itachi with Maleficent frowning at this with Naruto doing the same while trying his best to imitate his Mother.

"I see. Looks like we'll have to cross _another_ way," remarked Maleficent before she hit the ground with her staff with her power washing over the water in front of them.

And making a bridge of water appear in front of them.

"Wow! That is so cool!" exclaimed Naruto with Maleficent smirking while Itachi and Anko were shocked to see such power in controlling the elements.

"Very impressive," remarked Itachi with Anko nodding.

"Perhaps, but its not as difficult to do as it is to sustain with so much water in front of us. Come my son. We must cross our watery bridge now. I can only hold this for so long. No sense in just standing here like a bunch of twits," replied Maleficent with her son nodding and once more holding her hand tightly while fearlessly walking on their watery path.

The boy had complete unwavering faith in his new Mother.

Itachi and Anko cautiously walking right beside them while hoping this temporary bridge made out of water didn't suddenly collapse on them.

"Tell me my son, what do you intend to do with your life once you are old enough? What do you wish to be when you become an adult?" asked Maleficent since she was curious what her new son's hopes and dreams were.

"Well...I think I want to be a ninja. A strong one! Like the Hokage! That way, I can help you in anyway I can should you need me!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly while Maleficent smiled at him.

"Like the Hokage? So you would want to be the leader of Konoha?" asked Maleficent while keeping the idea of that village having her son back out of her mind and pictured it as just a smoking crater filled with corpses.

"I don't know. Maybe. But...I don't know if they would even accept me when I'm strong enough and I came back. I think I would like to be similar to him, but with a village of my own if I have no other alternative," answered Naruto since he had heard ninja who left Konoha without permission were considered bad and those that came back were punished badly.

And given how Konoha already hated him...chances are he would be doubly punished.

"Similar to the Hokage and Konoha?" questioned Maleficent while looking back at Itachi to explain it to her.

"I believe young Naruto-kun wishes to become a Kage of his own ninja village. Each major Shinobi village has a Kage. Iwa has the Tsuchikage. Kumo has the Raikage. Kiri has the Mizukage. And finally, Suna had the Kazekage," explained Itachi since he knew this from his history lessons surrounding the other villages.

"And the minor villages?" asked Maleficent since Itachi had mentioned them before in a previous conversation.

"They naturally do have leaders, but none of them are recognized by the major Shinobi villages as a Kage. They try to make themselves appear as if they are a Kage, but their actual strength leaves much to be desired when compared to the major villages," replied Itachi with Maleficent nodding and getting a better idea of what this world was like with each passing moment.

"We will worry about them last. For now, we need a place of residence in this land, and I refuse to let my son live in some tiny shack. It is unbefitting of his new station to live in such a tiny home with his loving Mother," remarked Maleficent calmly while seeing her son beaming a bright smile at her.

"I don't care where I live so long as you are with me Kaa-san," replied Naruto with the woman smiling at him and knew he meant well.

"That's sweet of you my child, but as your Mother, I refuse to settle for anything small in terms of residence. You will need a lot of room to grow and train in being a strong ninja or warrior depending on your profession in life," said Maleficent in a semi-lecturing tone that told Naruto it was one of those life lessons children should pay attention to when an adult talks to them.

"Okay. I think I understand," said Naruto though it was clear he was still trying to wrap his head around it.

"Not quite, but don't worry my son. You will learn in time," replied Maleficent before they reached land and the bridge made entirely of water collapsed once all parties had their feet on the ground.

Neither Itachi or Anko questioned whether their Mistress did that on purpose or not.

"Given your status Maleficent-sama, I would humbly suggest we try seeking the Wave Daimyo for proper residence befitting your station," offered Itachi since he wasn't sure what that station was, but figured a woman of such power was either an advisor to a rule of a country in the past, or quite possibly had been a ruler.

"Agreed. Seeing this kingdom's leader would be most beneficial to us," said Maleficent calmly, but Itachi along with Anko knew better since they sensed the hidden meaning behind her words.

The group made their way into the nearest town, drawing a lot of eyes from the people to Maleficent due her attire was not what you call...standard. They instantly wondered who she was? Who was the child? And who were the two people slightly behind her? Was she some kind of Queen? Another Daimyo? Why was she with such a small escort? Did her country fall in a war? Was she on the run from her country's enemies? Was she in exile? Eventually, Maleficent decided to ask someone about the village's Daimyo, and wanted to know the location of the leader's residence. The person she asked was an elderly man named Tazuna, who sadly enough had been drinking when she approached, and his booze like breath made Naruto cover his nose since it was that potent.

It was here that Naruto learned the valuable lesson to never _ever_ drink such liquid unless such a thing was necessary and in small moderated doses.

Still, it got Maleficent where she wanted to go, and the reason why the woman was now standing in front of the Feudal Lord. The man was gazing at her in somewhat awe with a hint of fear since her horns were no doubt the reason for such a thing. Itachi had secretly whispered to Maleficent that her attire no doubt made the Wave Daimyo believe she was the wife the Devil or at the very least...his daughter.

It was actually compliment in some ways since Maleficent imagined such a woman to be quite beautiful.

"So you see your majesty, my son along with my entourage wish to stay in your country for a time. Alas, the homes I have seen so far to possibly live are too small for what I feel is required of us. If you could perhaps allow us to stay here in your large castle, I could offer you my assistance in matter, and these two skilled ninjas for further protection of your person," said Maleficent after explaining her situation about being on the run from her enemies seeking to destroy her and was trying to find a place of safety for her son.

Naturally, the lie was surrounded by tidbits of truth. The man in front of her was unsure he could trust Maleficent. Her words were sweeter then honey. The woman's appearance while dark, seemed to do nothing in terms of terrifying the child next to her. As for the two ninja behind them, it was clear they had the stance of veterans of their profession, and were capable of protecting him if he chose to employ this woman as his advisor. Of course, who was to say the woman wouldn't secretly order them to kill him, and make it seem like an accident? Many ninja have thought employment with nobles, only to be the ones to stab them in the back because they were paid more by another client in advance to get close, and perform the dirty deed at the most proper time.

Who was to say this strange woman could give the word and his life would end here on his throne?

"How do I know you won't try to usurp me in the future? The words of an Advisor are not something I have to take into consideration. You could speak to me all you want about the different ideas and opportunities for this country, but my decision is ultimately the one that is final. You could say to do one thing, but I do the other. Will this cause friction between us?" questioned the Wave Daimyo with the man looking at the woman smiling at him in an alluring way.

Was she hinting to him her desire for his person?

"Of course not your majesty. Far from it. An Advisor is simply that. An Advisor. One who provides his or her own wisdom to the discussion. Whether the recommendations of the Advisor are put under consideration is entirely up to someone like yourself to decide. If you choose not to listen to my recommendations on any matters I get involved in, I will respectfully understand, and simply bow out of the conversation unless necessary," said Maleficent while Itachi and Anko glanced at each other for a second with concern since they knew deep in their hearts that was not the case.

Naruto simply smiled with pride in his Mother's choice of reasoning. She was so wise in his mind.

"I see. Very well. I will allow you, your son, and two ninja bodyguards to stay here in my castle under my protection in being my Advisor. _However_, under no circumstances will your authority usurp mine in matters of my country. Am I understood?" said the Wave Daimyo while seeing the horned woman instantly bowing in front of him in acceptance to this matter.

"Of course your majesty," replied Maleficent while internally she was enjoying this man's foolish belief that his authority was absolute.

It would be the exact opposite within the next coming month. Of that, she would be most certain. No one commanded the great Maleficent for long and lives to tell the tale.

But for now, for the good of her son, Maleficent would play the humble Advisor to this Daimyo, and when the time came...she would _strike_!

(Konoha-Two Weeks Later)

"Are you telling me that neither Naruto, Itachi, or Anko have been found yet?! After searching for roughly two weeks straight?!" demanded the Sandaime Hokage with the ANBU Captain Ox nodding his head.

"Yes Hokage-sama. We have searched high and low for all three of them. Several of the Inuzuka Clan members we have on tracking teams determined they were in the Forest of Death around the time of their disappearance. They smelled something was off about the area upon arriving on the scene and made the dogs with them very...nervous. Something was in the area that spooked them," replied Ox with the Sandaime frowning.

"Nervous about what? Did they smell the Kyuubi's chakra?" asked the Sandaime with Ox shaking his head no.

"No Hokage-sama. I asked and they said it was something else. While the chakra is not as potent in terms of evil like Kyuubi's, it was something one does not shrug off, or ignore in terms of a threat. What's more, they caught the scent of Itachi, and Anko in the area becoming...different," answered Ox with the Sandaime frowning further.

"Different? In what way?" asked the Sandaime worriedly.

"Its difficult to explain Hokage-sama. From what the Inuzuka's smelled, both ninja went from being human to...to that of animals. Specifically the scents of a crow and a snake," said Ox with the Sandaime looking confused by this.

Itachi did have a contract with the crows, but as far as the Hokage knew regarding them, a Sage Mode did not exist so turning into a giant crow like entity was not possible. Even for a young Prodigy like Itachi. As for Anko...snakes was in the field of his old student turned traitor Orochimaru. Just great! The Councils were going to have a field day with this. First, they would claim Anko was a hidden spy of Orochimaru, and demand she was placed in the Bingo Book. They would claim Itachi was a traitor as well with even more suspicion placed on the Uchiha Clan rising ever since the Sandaime's so called _Advisors_ mentioned the Uchiha Clan's connection to the Kyuubi. And the mention of that name would _really _send them all into a frenzy since many either wanted the Uzumaki boy dead, a mindless tool to be used as a weapon of war, or didn't want to get involved unless it was to their benefit without the risk of being label "demon lovers" by the populace majority of the village.

"I see. This foul chakra they smelled...was it possibly Orochimaru?" asked the Hokage with Ox shaking his head no.

"No Hokage-sama. The chakra scent was not Orochimaru's scent or his chakra signature. It was something else entirely," replied Ox with the old Kage sighing at this news.

'Well at least its not _that_. Anko I can save, but Itachi, and Naruto...not so much. Many will think the fox somehow took control of the boy, called forth a loyal minion, and trapped two of my ninja under some kind of animal transformation. I don't know what I'm going to do,' thought the Sandaime since he needed to provide damage control over this.

"We also have the Matron in custody Hokage-sama. She was trying to argue about her right to kicking any child out of the Orphanage at any time. The woman claims you have no right to punish her for throwing the Kyuubi Jinchuriki out. Also, around the time she did it, the mob we caught had formed, and chased the boy into the Forest of Death from those Ibiki interrogated. Her name was mentioned by at least three different people from that mob," added Ox with the Hokage's eyes narrowing.

"Did you she now? Such a statement sends a bad precedent regarding the children in all of our Orphanages. Send her to Ibiki. I want to know what she did regarding Naruto and how that mob we heard about and caught formed so fast to chase the boy," commanded the Hokage with Ox bowing before leaving in a swirl of leaves.

"We messed up sensei," remarked Jiraiya now on the window with his sensei looking at him before nodding in agreement.

"I know Jiraiya. I tried to keep things from getting worse, but the years go by, and I get older in the process," remarked the Sandaime in a tired voice.

"Why did you cut out the Uzumaki Clan from the history books? You know that was a direct spit in the face to the Uzumaki Clan itself. Not to mention Kushina and Mito. If they were alive right now, the two of us would be beaten to death, brought back by the use of the Edo Tensei, and killed violently all over again," replied Jiraiya with his sensei nodding in agreement.

"It was done to protect him. I agreed to the terms on the condition that such information be made accessible to Naruto when he was old and strong enough or became a Chuunin," replied Hiruzen with Jiraiya snorting at the compromise.

"Like the village will let him live that long or get that strong from the start. And do you honestly expect those around you on the Councils to honor such a promotion if Naruto became a ninja much less a Chuunin? They would look for any reason to keep him from advancing in rank and if he does reach Chuunin, they will find a way to get the poor kid demoted the first chance they get. No longer Chuunin. No longer allowed to know about the Uzumaki Clan. So long as Naruto remained a Genin, every single ninja around Naruto will have total authority over him, and you won't be Hokage forever. Your successor may not like the idea of Naruto having such a free mind or form of independence and seek to turn him into an emotionless weapon. Kami knows there are quite a few of those guys we know wishing that was the case," countered Jiraiya with the Sandaime nodding since they both knew who the Sannin was referring to about Naruto.

"And now Naruto is Kami knows where with Kami knows who. Not to mention Itachi and Anko are in the same position," said Hiruzen knowing this was going to cause him a lot of problems in the near future.

"Maybe we can spin this. At least in a way that gets the Uchiha Clan from doing what the rumors we've heard they are planning to do. If they are indeed true like our spy said they were. Its a shame he got taken in all of this," commented Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"Yes. Itachi being the eldest son of the Clan Head and Prodigy not seen in years would make his Father extremely worried over something happening to him. We need to play this in the light that Uchiha Itachi was kidnapped by some mysterious foe. Possibly the work of the masked man who attacked Minato the night of Kyuubi's attack. As it stands we are spending several key resources to find him to show Konoha still caress about the Uchiha Clan," replied Hiruzen while liking where this was going.

"Say you assigned Itachi with the task of clearing the Uchiha's name and we are assuming the masked man found out. That Itachi was getting close and was taken my the masked man. That Anko was with him when it happened," offered Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding in agreement.

"What about Naruto? I can't keep his disappearance a secret," questioned Hiruzen with Jiraiya thinking before snapping his fingers.

"Say I took him. That I arrived shortly after the attack happened with Naruto being a key witness to it, but was traumatized. So traumatized in fact that I took him with me to find Tsunade and get him treatment for the coma he's in," said Jiraiya since he could use this to find Tsunade and convince her to come home.

"That could work, but the Councils will want the boy back in the village soon after, and you will have to convince Tsunade to not only come back, but play on the lie as well about Naruto being in a coma," said Hiruzen while Jiraiya sighing since that was true.

"I never said it was easy sensei," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"Just do it Jiraiya. The sooner Tsunade is back the better," explained Hiruzen with his student nodding before leaping out of the window.

(Wave Country-Daimyo's Palace)

Maleficent smiled in the darkness of her room. It was large. Spacious even. A nice bed worthy of her regal grace, though she suspected the Wave Daimyo had a much larger, and nicer bed given his station as a ruler of this land. Not that it mattered. Soon the Wave Daimyo's room would be her own and Naruto would inherit this room in place of the one the Feudal Lord assigned him. The boy's room was half the size of this one. But all things considered with the living conditions the boy was forced to live in prior to being kicked out, it was a nice upgrade in terms of comfort for him.

"You can come out now Naruto. No need to be shy," said Maleficent, as she sensed her son enter the dark room quietly, and tiptoeing to the bed.

How her son got away with the pranks he pulled when his energy levels were so massive from the start was a bit baffling to the woman.

"Sorry Kaa-san. Its just...I want to sleep with you again. Where its safe," replied Naruto in a whisper before crawling on top of the bed to his Mother's position and rested his head against her form.

"You don't trust Itachi or Anko to guard you? Even after all this time being with us and here in the Daimyo's castle?" questioned Maleficent while wondering if the two even knew the boy got away from them.

"No. Nothing like that Kaa-san. They were doing just fine. But...I don't like being away from you. I'm afraid," said Naruto with Maleficent now stroking his blonde hair gently to soothe the boy's nerves.

"Even after all this time you are still afraid I will leave you. That all this will be a dream. That I never existed and you are still at the Orphanage with the cruel Matron waking you up only to kick you out all over again," surmised Maleficent with Naruto nodding at her words.

"Yes Kaa-san. I just...I just want to stay here and sleep beside you. To convince myself that this isn't a dream. That's its actually real. That my new Mother does exist and not something from my imagination. Please let me stay!" pleaded Naruto in the hopes she wouldn't deny him.

"Of course child. I understand your fears. I will never leave you. However, I don't expect you to cling to me at the first sign of trouble in your life. I expect any child I call my own to stand on their own two feet when the time comes to face an enemy that will try to take from you. Do you understand my child?" explained Maleficent with Naruto nodding.

"I know you do Kaa-san. I want to be strong. I just...I just want to enjoy this moment with you while I can," replied Naruto sleepily before he slumber took him.

"Such an interesting child. So loving. To think your village hated you for something that was clearly not your own doing. For shame on them all. The lot of them. No matter. You will one day have your revenge on them my son. Not today and certainly not tomorrow. But one day well into the future, a day will come where you will decide their fate, and the lives of those around you. The only question now will be at the time of their judgment is will they rejoice at your return? Or will they ultimately be damned by your wrath you wish to unleash upon them?" said Maleficent to herself while letting the eerie glow of her staff illuminate the room in a greenish black light.

All the while, Naruto's chakra, and the Kyuubi's to some extension went into her body to make it stronger. Maleficent had been doing it since they started their short little travel to Wave Country. The walk itself could have been shorted by either using magic to teleport or the use of her own wings, which she was able to retrieve in order to enter her draconic form. Alas, she didn't choose either option because it would have drained her of strength, and needed to secretly take the boy's chakra from him in order to replenish her energies. Even now, this was a good time as any to siphon it from the boy while he slept in the knowledge it would restore itself well within the hour. By that point she would stop her action in order to get some sleep herself.

Tomorrow she would have to punish Itachi and Anko for not catching the boy's escape from his room. Not that she really minded since it allowed the woman to take some of his chakra, but the last thing Maleficent needed was someone else getting by them that was not her son, and had foul intent to end their lives.

Oh yes. Their Mistress would indeed remind them that her dark power was not only to go unchallenged, but to be feared should they fail in their assigned duties. And they did fail her here tonight.

(The Next Morning)

"Maleficent-sama, we deeply apologize I-AAAAAH!" exclaimed Anko, as she fell to the floor in pain, having been on her knees bowed in submission before the dark witch, and the magic wield being used to punish the kunoichi.

"Silence! You both disappointed me. I asked you both to protect Naruto last night. To guard his room with him in it! Surely it must have surprised you that he was not in his room this morning, but rather in mine?" questioned Maleficent while the two ninja now in her room after being called kneeled and had been shocked to see a sleeping Naruto lying next to the woman resting comfortably on the large bed.

How did he escape them?

"With respect Maleficent-sama, ninja from Konoha with far more experience then us have been unable to detect Naruto, and many of them were skilled Sensor ninja," said Itachi while keeping his eyes down and did his best not to look at the withering in pain Anko.

"And you think that excuses you? It only makes it _worse_! Clearly Konoha's Sensor ninja are either too weak, blind, lazy, or stupid to detect my son. Imagine if an assassin were able to mimic Naruto's way of staying undetected and was seeking to kill us! Not only would they have succeeded, but it would have been because of your incompetence that it happened. That changes _today_!" stated Maleficent coldly while Naruto whimpered and moved to snuggle deeper into his Mother for bodily warmth.

She quickly switched into a Mother to gently coo and shush the boy while whispering everything was all right and that his Mother was here.

"With all due respect Maleficent-sama, we need to continue training to keep our skill level up. While our skills are fairly high for our age...we need to do more to get stronger," explained Itachi with Maleficent nodding at his words and was clearly pleased, if only slightly that they intended to prevent another failure on their part.

"Good. See that you do. When one or both of you is with Naruto for his own training, you will teach him as well as train yourselves. Anything less then a hard day's worth of such an act will not be tolerated," replied Maleficent while Anko stopped being in pain on the ground and slowly rose to her knees once more.

"Rest assured Maleficent-sama, we will train ourselves to prevent anyone from harming you or Naruto," replied Itachi while Maleficent nodded and smiled at the Uchiha.

"With all do respect Maleficent-sama, if both Itachi along with myself are watching over Naruto...who will be protecting you?" asked Anko with Maleficent narrowing her eyes.

"I assure you dear girl, I am more then capable of protecting myself. Such days will be rare and the only reason I would call you to my side is to have you carry out a mission that requires your unique set of skills," replied Maleficent with both ninja nodding in understanding.

"What do you wish us to do now Maleficent-sama?" asked Itachi with the dark witch humming to herself in thought.

"First, we need to eat. Bring us some food in here immediately. Something delectable. Fresh fruit will suffice for now," commanded Maleficent while seeing her son was still malnourished despite the last few days of giving the boy more then enough food from all the hunting Itachi and Anko had done since heading to Wave.

Even the small banquet last night to celebrate Maleficent's position as the Wave Daimyo's Advisor did little to stem the boy's skinny body being noticeably undermanaged. Though it did reinforce the story told to the Feudal Lord about how they were on the run and they had struggled to survive getting to a land where they could be safe.

"Yes Maleficent-sama," replied Itachi before he and Anko left to get something for their Mistress.

"Kaa-san," whispered Naruto with Maleficent looking down slightly at her son.

"Yes child?" asked Maleficent curiously.

"Do you know why people in Konoha hate me?" asked Naruto while Maleficent stayed quiet for a moment.

"Why do you ask?" questioned Maleficent while Naruto paused as if unsure if he should say anything.

"I overheard some things when we were traveling here. When I was sleeping at night, I always keep myself somewhat awake, and heard you talking with Anko-san and Itachi-san. You talked to them about the Kyuubi, me, and a seal in the same sentence," said Naruto with maleficent looking a bit shocked by this since she didn't expect him to hear that particular conversation.

"Such a perceptive child. But to answer your question, yes my son. I do know why you were hated in your former village. I now know why they treated you so badly," replied Maleficent with Naruto clutching her smooth black clothing even tighter.

"Can you tell me? I want to know," said Naruto since he felt it was only fair that _someone_ tell him why he was hated and didn't lie about it.

"Very well child. I will tell you what I was told by Itachi and Anko. It all started on your birthday. On the night of October 10th. A night that would also claim the life of many and would earn you the misguided hatred of many in Konoha for it," replied Maleficent before going into detail of what she knew from Itachi and Anko who were in the village that night while using the orb on her staff to show him the events that unfolded.

A red haired woman named Kushina crying out in pain from giving birth.

A masked man with a Sharingan similar to Itachi's, but calling himself Uchiha Madara appears, killing the woman's protection detail and midwife.

A battle between the masked Madara and the Yondaime Hokage with baby Naruto as the prize.

The Yondaime Hokage being the victor, but it was a trick for Madara to get close to the Kushina to rip out the fox.

The woman cries out in pain. Cries that were muffled by the roar of the Kyuubi and the rampage that followed through Madara's machinations.

Another battle following with the Yondaime freeing the fox from Madara's control.

The cries of an infant echo into the night, getting the Kyuubi's attention. The Biju has a look of realization of what it to happen if it does nothing.

The Biju moves to kill the child with large clawed paw.

The man and woman move to intercept the claw, both taking the hit, and using the last of their strength make the sealing a success.

Both of them saying how they love their son before they die.

Moments later, only a child's crying can be heard, and the appearance of the Sandaime Hokage is seen coming out of the shadows to inspect what has happened.

A meeting of those in charge of the village soon appeared and a heated debate over the future of the boy is echoing throughout the room. Some wanted the boy killed. Others controlled as a mindless emotionless tool for a weapon. Others said nothing while seeing which side of the argument they should take to better prove their standing in terms of protecting their own families from the future backlash their choice would make.

(Flashback-Meeting Room)

"The demon must die! Look at the carnage caused by it! Our beloved Yondaime-sama was killed because this beast!" exclaimed a Civilian Council member with many calling for the death of the baby.

"The child is our new Jinchuriki. A weapon. Killing the boy now would be even more damaging to Konoha. He should be given to me. I can turn the child into a loyal Konoha Shinobi and unleash him on our enemies," replied Danzo while in his mind he thought of everyone in this room as well as many in the outside world as his enemies.

"And have him be your loyal pet? I think not. I have seen what happened to those people who become apart of Root when it was around. You would put the boy through the same stuff and make him an emotionless husk," remarked Hiruzen with Danzo sneering at him.

"And what would you do Hiruzen? Let him live a life of ignorance? The boy deserves nothing, but our contempt, and should be kept locked away in a controlled environment," said Danzo with Hiruzen scowling at the idea of doing that to Minato's son.

"There is also the issue of the knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan being apart of Konoha's history. If this boy is indeed an Uzumaki, how do we handle the situation about the village history in connection to them?" asked Shibi since he had no problems with the boy being alive, much less a Jinchuriki, but he knew that the boy would seek to learn more about his family when old enough, and given the last name could make things a bit...difficult with the rest of Konoha's populace.

"Simple. We remove it! Every scrap of information about the Uzumaki Clan should be destroyed. They are gone. Extinct. We don't need to honor those Whirlpool foreigners and freaks!" exclaimed Haruno Sakiri angrily at the idea of Kushina being allowed to live in Konoha after leaving Whirlpool before its fall.

"Are you insane! Konoha is only alive and strong as it was because of the Uzumaki Clan since this village's founding. Uzumaki Mito was the Shodaime's wife! You would spit on two clans who helped build Konoha!" exclaimed Tsume in protest since she saw this as an act of disloyalty and went against the principles of the Inuzuka Clan.

"Enough! As it stands, the boy can't know about the Uzumaki Clan. At least, not while he is growing up. With no one in Konoha outside of the boy being Uzumaki, no one can teach him what he should know about his clan, and will have to wait until he comes of age or is strong enough to claim everything connected to the Uzumaki Clan. When that happens, Naruto will be told about the Uzumaki Clan, and given full control over all the things pertaining to it," declared Hiruzen much to the anger of the Civilian Council, the displeasure of Danzo, Koharu, and Homura while Uchiha Fugaku looked like someone had told him his prodigal son Uchiha Itachi was not his child.

"What about the boy in general? How will he be raised?" asked Hiashi curiously while the many in the Civilian Council were calling for the boy to be left abandoned in the street in the hopes a wild angry dog would come along to tear the boy to pieces.

"Silence! The boy will be raised in an Orphanage. He will make friends and bond with children his own age to ensure any question of his loyalty in the future does not happen. Also, _no one_ is allowed to tell the younger generation about Naruto being the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. It will cause them to hate and fear the boy and thus cause more problems in the future. Anyone who goes against this decree will be executed. Regardless of their rank or position. When the time comes, _I_ or someone trustworthy I assigned to the task will tell the boy the truth, and inform him of what he holds. Am I understood?" said the Sandaime Hokage with many disliking this decision and its different aspects regarding the boy for different reasons.

"While we all understand this Hokage-sama, you must realize this ruling swings both ways in terms of protection for the boy," offered Uchiha Fugaku with the Sandaime narrowing his eyes.

"Explain!" commanded Hiruzen coldly.

"If these laws of yours are meant to protect the boy from violence, then the laws should also prevent anyone from aiding him as well. The boy must stand on his own two feet alone without help from you or anyone else in Konoha," replied Fugaku since he had long since adopted the Uchiha Madara way of doing things surrounding how the Uchiha Clan was meant to be as the strongest.

The sink or swim kind of policy.

"I agree. If the boy is indeed an Uzumaki, he needs to endure any hardships that come with being a Jinchuriki. While no one will harm the boy, no one is allowed come to his aid either," added Danzo with a smirk knowing he could use this to his advantage.

"And what if he is being attacked first? Are you saying no one is allowed to stop it?" questioned Shikaku with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Of course not, but if the boy were attacked, he shouldn't be saved right away. It would make him think he's untouchable and arrogant. All the same, I believe that the punishment for such an act on our weapon should be..._minor_ at best. A mere fine for the act seems to be appropriate," remarked Danzo casually with many of the Clan Heads disagreeing with that statement.

"A mere _fine_? For beating up a child? It sets a bad precedent Danzo. What about other children in Konoha? What if they face such abuse? The abuser could use such a thing to get away from the stated imprisonment on such a weak penalty for hurting a child," said Tsume, as she was thinking of her eldest, and even her recently born pup for a son.

"This would be exclusive only for the Jinchuriki. Every other law regarding the abuse of children would apply to _normal_ children," explained Danzo so it would further encourage support from those that wanted to hurt the child while appease those with children and were thinking of their own.

"No! The abuse of a Jinchuriki in any state will jeopardize the seal. I highly doubt anyone here wants to see the Kyuubi break out simply because some fool wishes to hurt the boy knowing this would be the end result," stated the Sandaime with many grumbling at their chance of hurting the boy being denied simply because the seal would weaken and their revenge against the fox would be their undoing.

"The Kyuubi still needs to be punished! And since the boy holds the fox, he is guilty by association!" exclaimed Haruno Sakiri with many on the Civilian Council agreeing with the idea of the boy being punished along with the fox.

"We already set the ground rules for the boy. No one is allowed to hurt them. If they do, the attackers will be sent to Ibiki, and then executed for their crimes. I will not have our village Jinchuriki crippled simply to satisfy your bloodlust!" exclaimed the Sandaime with the man slamming his hand down and shaking the room with his power.

"Then I take it the terms are final?" asked Koharu knowing when her former teammate had made his decision on a matter.

"Very well. Konoha will remove the Uzumaki Clan from the records, but keep them in a safe location for Naruto to look at when he is old or strong enough. No one is to inform the younger generation of Naruto being the new Jinchuriki under the penalty of death. And finally, no one is allowed to hurt Uzumaki Naruto, but at the same time...no one is allowed to help him either _unless_ he is being attacked," stated the Sandaime with the others in the room, most _reluctantly_ nodding at this, and yet it was clear that many would do their best to circumvent the rules put in place.

(End Flashback)

"And that is what happen the night of your birth my son," said Maleficent with Naruto's eyes showing his various emotions about what he just witnessed with his mind going a mile a second.

"Kaa-san," said Naruto in a whispered tone.

"Yes my son?" asked Maleficent.

"Is it wrong to hate? To hate these people?" asked Naruto with Maleficent being quite for a second.

"No. At least in controlled moderations. When unleashing your fury upon such people, you must ensure it is only against those who deserve it. Striking out against the innocent people of the village who don't deserve your wrath will make you no better then the fools themselves," answered Maleficent calmly while Naruto felt his anger at everything that had happened to him still not leaving like he thought after hearing her words.

"And those that deserve it? Those that deserve to be hated by me?" asked Naruto just as Itachi and Anko walked into the room with food for the two.

"That answer is simple my son. You crush them! Along with anyone and everyone who follows their beliefs. The world as a whole must know that following such fools will not be tolerated. That to walk their path and embrace their beliefs gains them nothing but a violent death. A violent death that _you_ my dear child will bring to everyone who stands in your way when the time comes to cleansing the world of such arrogant people," replied Maleficent with Naruto nodding in agreement while his eyes unknowing changed from blue to red for a second.

"And I will. When I grow up, I am going to change this world. I am going to see that this world is no longer the home for fools like them," whispered Naruto as if he was suddenly possessed by some unseen force.

"I know you will my son. I have foreseen it. You will march upon this world with a fury unlike any other outside of myself. You will destroy your enemies one after another. You will crush those who would deny you your heart's desire, those who would deny you your happiness, and those who would deny you the right to achieve your destiny," whispered Maleficent with glee while sensing her son's chakra spiking with emotions.

"I can't wait," whispered Naruto while imaging the rage he would unleash when older upon those who would wish to restrain him like some animal.

"Patience my son. Patience. All things come to those who wait," whispered Maleficent in a soothing tone before motioning Anko and Itachi forward with the food.

"What of the Wave Daimyo being mindful of you Maleficent-sama? He is not going to trust you to stay in an Advisory based position for long. A sudden rise to being the new ruler of this country will look...suspicious," questioned Itachi with Maleficent smirking at her curious Uchiha Prodigy.

"Of course it would. Which is why I won't try to usurp him. I intend to do just as I said. I will advise the man and guide this land to one of prosperity," answered Maleficent with Itachi and Anko frowning in confusion.

"Maleficent-sama, we know you wish to rule over this land rather then advise the current Daimyo. The only way to do that is if the Feudal Lord has no heirs to his throne by blood and he leaves some kind of message informing his people who he has appointed for the task," said Anko with Maleficent nodding.

"An appointment normally carried out by the Advisor of the late ruler. I know my dear. I am well acquainted with the ways of succession by Kings, Queens, and other rulers when there is no blood related heir to the throne. It is why Advisors are kept at arms length in the event they become power hungry and seek to be the ruler over being the _Advisor_ to a ruler," added Maleficent with Anko looking a bit embarrassed by this.

"So how will you succeed in taking over as the new ruler of Wave Country?" asked Itachi curiously with Maleficent smirking at him further in a devious way.

"Simple. I'm going to be the ever loyal and faithful Advisor until the man dies from some unfortunate act that will happen completely by surprise. As for _how_ _exactly_ the man will die? I leave that little number in your capable of hands with those eyes of yours," replied Maleficent since she knew they were special given how they had been used by another to influence the Kyuubi.

To manipulate a simple human would be child's play.

"You want me to cause the Wave Daimyo to end his life," concluded Itachi since he was thinking along the same lines as his Mistress.

"Naturally, but not right away since as you said it would look suspicious, and such news would travel fast to the rest of the world. The death of a Feudal Lord does not stay within the ears of just its citizens for long. We have many years ahead of us while in these lands. What is a few months being an Advisor to a Feudal Lord when compared to the years that follow with me as its new ruler...and Naruto here as my heir," replied Maleficent with the Uchiha nodding in understanding.

They had time on their side. Even if Konoha dispatched Jiraiya of Sannin to find Naruto and themselves by extension with his spy network, the spies would never come here to look for them. They would look in all the major countries. Where Shinobi villages were located. Even the minor ones like Taki would be investigated. The Hokage suspected foul play from another Shinobi village or maybe Orochimaru to some extent given Anko's own past.

Maleficent was confident that the Sandaime Hokage, for all his wisdom gained over the years leading Konoha, would look in all the wrong just highly probable places. That he would look into Iwa, Kumo, and even Kiri too despite the growing civil unrest due to the bloodline purge there by the tyrannical Mizukage who was ironically enough a Jinchuriki just like Naruto. Even if the Sandaime learned where Naruto was located, by that point Maleficent would be Wave Country's new ruler, and make Naruto her heir to the throne. Under international law set forth by Feudal Lords of the five major countries, Konoha would lose all claim to Naruto, and what was worse for them as a whole was the boy would one day seek to take everything owed to him that was in possession of his former village.

In short, Naruto could strip Konoha of everything major that the Uzumaki Clan had been responsible for contributing since the founding of the Shinobi village itself. Which was well over two thirds of Konoha itself from seals to the whirlpool insignia on Jounin vests and just about anything not nailed down in the village period. All through political means and the Fire Daimyo would have no choice but to comply. If he didn't, it would make him look bad in front of his fellow Daimyos, who would call the man out on it if he refused, and make the Feudal Lord of Fire Country look bad in the eyes of the world.

When that happened, Konoha as a whole would be screwed.

"When I strike, you must have no knowledge of what I do Maleficent-sama. You must have plausible deniability when it comes to the Wave Daimyo's death," replied Itachi with Maleficent nodding.

"I know the game well Itachi. Just do your part when the time comes. When the time is right, I will give the signal. How you choose to end him through unsuspicious means will be entirely up to you," said Maleficent with Itachi nodding since it would be fairly easy to kill the Wave Daimyo from a safe distance with his eyes.

All that was needed now for it to work was the day, time, and the signal from Maleficent herself to bring about the woman's ascension as the new ruler of Wave Country.

(A/N: YAY! Another chapter for everyone who wanted one. This new fic has gained a lot of popular support. Damn! Glad you liked it. I'll keep going for as long as my muse will let me before going back to my older stuff. Until next time...PEACE!)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Of Demons and Deals

Maleficent sat on her plush throne. It was quite comfortable actually. In one hand was her staff. On her other hand was a crow with a Sharingan Eye. Around the woman's shoulders was a snake watching for everything and anything. Sitting beside her in a smaller, yet no more regal throne was her son Naruto watching things with his own critical blue eyes. The years had gone by quickly with Naruto growing up into a now healthy young boy, who under the watch of his Mother, and the training of his two ninja senseis had become quite strong for his age of ten going on eleven in a few months.

As things stood, the boy was well educated, and Maleficent made sure that her son was the sharpest blade among all the children his age within Wave.

Sharper then most adults too.

"As you can see your majesty, the bridge I wish to make would help increase our nation's trade up well over sixty percent because we would be directly tied to the main land. Not only that, but it would ensure we don't rely heavily on trading using ships for importing, and exporting like we have in the past," explained the old man named Tazuna, who was ironically enough the man Maleficent met when the group first arrived.

"Yes it would. But I was under the impression the people of Wave greatly feared the idea of some army of bandits or ninjas from invading. Wouldn't this be an open invitation for them to do so? My predecessor was certain it was despite my own opinion on the matter when you addressed it to him at a previous point in time," commented Maleficent with Tazuna nodding in agreement since she was right about her predecessor.

Which was why he was bringing this issue to her now in the hopes she would green light the project.

After Maleficent became the previous Wave Daimyo's Advisor, she used her years of wisdom, and knowledge from her past life to ensure Wave Country became a strong and thriving nation. Her words of wisdom were listened to by the Wave Daimyo roughly a good eighty percent of the time. The remaining twenty percent the Wave Daimyo either disliked or turned down the words of wisdom from the woman, despite her many good examples of how following through with certain deals would have benefited Wave. The Daimyo's decision to go against Maleficent's words would come to bite him in the butt at times and many of the populace felt the man was losing his touch in properly ruling over them. The more screw ups the Wave Daimyo made, the more angry the people became with him, and started supporting Maleficent even more despite her strange dark and slightly terrifying appearance.

So when the time came to have Itachi end the man with subtle manipulation that could not be tied to the dark witch herself...the people didn't really mind the change in terms of leadership. They actually preferred it since Maleficent was now in the seat of power and using it wisely to govern the lands around her.

Hence why Tazuna was here to ensure Wave prospered under his current idea.

"Yes your majesty. He did oppose the idea for one of those reasons. However, the bridge is rather long, and narrow even so only a small army could cross if it happened. Plus, the income gained through additional trade could be used to hire samurai from Iron Country to defend the bridge to provide more security. The greater the security means merchants can will trust us to protect them when conducting trade and they will wish to do future business with us knowing we can protect them from bandits," replied Tazuna with Maleficent nodding at the idea since such security would show merchants that doing business with Wave was safe.

"And while I do not wish to speak ill of my predecessor regarding his decision, its clear to the two of us that the man was a twit. Wouldn't you agree?" said Maleficent, as she saw Tazuna pause for a second to consider his response before nodding.

"To some degree you majesty," replied Tazuna with the woman nodding.

"As such, I do no wish to make the same mistake as my predecessor. To that end, I will grant you the needed resources, materials, and manpower to build this bridge. I expect you to provide me with monthly reports on the progress of the bridge and the expected time it will be completed," ordered Maleficent with Tazuna nodding with happiness in his eyes since the bridge was considered in his eyes to be the ultimate construction project for Wave.

"Thank you Maleficent-sama. I'll begin working on the project right away. You won't be disappointed," said Tazuna before bowing again and leaving to inform the rest of the populace of the good news.

"Such a passionate man. Could do without the need to drink though, but aside from that he has his country's welfare at heart. Don't you agree Naruto?" remarked Maleficent, as she looked at her son, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes Kaa-san. Though I suspect from what I smelled during the meeting with him that he did have a drink prior to coming here," replied Naruto with Maleficent nodding since she smelled it too.

"Not that the matter of the bridge being built is concluded, we need to move onto other business. Particularly the business regarding that foolish businessman Gato. What do you have to report about him Itachi?" remarked Maleficent while Itachi flew off her arm and transformed into a human.

"The man is slime Maleficent-sama. On face value, he seems like an ordinary man with a legitimate business that deals in distributing goods internationally. But underneath it all, the man has connections to the criminal underworld in almost every major country. He deals in racketeering, extortion, blackmail, illegal weapon selling, smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution while channeling the illegal finances into various secret bank accounts to be a special 'safety net' for himself," replied Itachi while Maleficent narrowed her eyes angrily at the notion of such a human existing.

Gato reminded her a lot about King Stefan. Always wanting more and more from others without the thought or presence of mind to stop taking what wasn't his to take.

"And to think I gave such a man an audience with me just last week over doing business with his shipping company," remarked Maleficent since she instantly disliked the man and his two thug like guards.

"And because you refused him, the man is seeking out a way to 'convince you' that doing business with him is in your best interest. Namely your health and Naruto-sama's health to be precise," replied Itachi while sensing his Mistress was angry at his words.

"And how does this _pig_ of a man expect to get to me? Or more then likely get to my son Naruto?" asked Maleficent with Itachi pausing to consider his words.

"More then likely, Gato will hire ninja from one of the major villages to kidnap him, or possibly kill Naruto-sama should he feel the need to make his message hit its mark," said Itachi while the woman's anger seemed to grow and radiate off her body.

"Don't worry Kaa-san. I won't let anyone hurt me or you by any means," replied Naruto, which calmed the dark witch to some degree, but it still made her eyes narrow at the idea of them being targets, and possibly killed by Gato's hired help.

And yet...this could work to her advantage.

"Do you know who Gato would employ for such a task?" questioned Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"Yes Mistress. I overheard Gato talking about hiring Momochi Zabuza for this. The ninja in question is a Missing Nin formerly of Kiri after his failed coup. against the Mizukage forced him to flee with what few followers remain. He is called the Demon of the Bloody Mist and is a Master at the silent killing technique," explained Itachi before going further into detail about how Zabuza became a ninja after killing over a hundred recently made Genin at the young age of twelve, which caused the higher powers that be running Kiri to change the rules about how the Academy Graduation was done.

It was shocking and impressive all in one to Maleficent as well as Naruto with the boy almost looking like he wanted to idolize him in terms of skill and strength.

"Interesting. This Momochi Zabuza has certainly earned his title. Let this man come with whoever is with him to claim my life. I will show Gato and his followers what it means to challenge someone with my power. A demon like Zabuza is no match for an entity of darkness who creates them!" declared Maleficent with Itachi nodding in agreement.

"With your permission Maleficent-sama, I would like to investigate what is going on in Konoha. I am concerned about the future of my clan and my little brother," requested Itachi since he had been unable to see his family for so long and knew it was because Maleficent did not want him to somehow communicate with them in the belief they could free him from her spell.

Not that he had to go since Maleficent always kept an eye on things using the orb on her staff and kept the Uchiha in the loop. Still, Itachi feared for the internal structure of his clan, and what his Father had done in his absence. He needed to see things for himself, if only to give himself some peace within his own mind.

"I know you do Itachi. I have seen that worry on your face on more then one occasion. As such, I will allow you to calm your worries, and your fears by going to see them. _BUT_, I forbid you from communicating with your clan in _any _way. You will watch your family in your crow form and see what has happened to your clan. Once you have seen all you have seen, I expect you to return to me post haste," commanded Maleficent with man kneeling in front of her nodding and clearly grateful for this opportunity.

"Thank you Maleficent-sama. I will shall go and return immediately," said Itachi before he turned into a crow and took flight.

Itachi just hoped what he saw no when compared to the past was an improvement.

(Konoha-At the Moment)

"So my son Uchiha Itachi has not been found. Ever after all these years," commented Uchiha Fugaku with Hiruzen nodding his head while the Council Meeting had shifted to this old yet no less pressing news.

"Sadly no. Every Konoha ninja sent out on missions has standing orders to keep an eye out for him Fugaku. Alas, no teams have heard anything about your son. Jiraiya's spy network has also failed to pickup anything about your son's whereabouts too," replied Hiruzen while Fugaku let out a grunt of anger at Konoha's failure in retrieving his son.

The only reason Fugaku trusted Hiruzen was doing anything was because each mission pertaining to outside Konoha and Fire Country in general had at least one Uchiha on it. They all told Fugaku that the Hokage had each team keep a look out for Itachi when on those missions with orders to possibly retrieve if not report his location to the Hokage for possible reinforcements to extract him.

At first, when Itachi went missing, Fugaku suspected foul play by the Hokage, or Konoha in general in fear of Itachi's potential for being an Uchiha. However, that all changed when Hiruzen told Fugaku that Mitarashi Anko, _and_ Uzumaki Naruto were both missing as well during the Emergency Council Meeting about it. This had caused an all around perception to shift for the Uchiha Clan Head and the clan overall about this since he knew that Hiruzen was very defensive about Naruto being left alone and unsupervised. Not that Fugaku was surprised by that part on account of how Konoha as a whole treated the boy. Not only that, but it was no secret to knows on the Councils and Clan heads that Anko was something of a special project for the Sandaime after she was recovered literally at the front gates of the village years ago following Orochimaru's betrayal.

As such, Hiruzen wouldn't do anything to those two at the risk of hurting Itachi, and the Uchiha clan Head also knew Konoha's overall Councils were reluctantly in the same boat regarding that policy. So it was clear an outside force had taken his son and the other two for Kami knows what. In a surprising turn of events, the surprising news of all three of them missing had shifted suspicion away from the Uchiha Clan's being suspected in the involvement with the Kyuubi's attack roughly over a decade ago, and that they were as much victims of this as everyone else. Hence why the idea of overthrowing the Sandaime Hokage with an Uchiha being the next Hokage in line was put on hold since acting now or anytime in the near future would just make the people believe that they were behind the Kyuubi's attack.

The last thing Fugaku wanted was to spend the next few years fighting for control of the village or worrying about possible revolts against the Uchiha Clan once he claimed the Leaf for himself.

"A pity. Itachi showed such promise for the Uchiha Clan. What of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki? What is his status?" asked Danzo while seeing Fugaku glaring at him slightly for waving the young prodigy off like he was a footnote.

"Still in a coma. Sleeping peacefully and being properly nourished within my clan home where he is safe from prying eyes," answered Tsunade since she had been told everything by Jiraiya and how she needed to play the part for now over the boy being found yet in a coma with no signs of coming out.

She had not been pleased to hear how the boy was treated and only went along with it to help her sensei keep an eye on the various vermin now infesting Konoha. To keep them from poisoning the village further with their greed and corruption of the Will of Fire her Grandfather preached long ago.

"I see. Another unfortunate piece of news. We need to consider the option or at the very least prepare for the worst case scenario of the boy not waking up. We need another host made available to hold the Kyuubi. We need to acquire some of the boy's sperm when the time is right and impregnate a kunoichi capable of producing a strong enough child to hold the fox," declared Danzo with Hiruzen scowling since this had come up in the first Emergency Council Meeting when the Hokage had told everyone of Naruto being found, yet in a coma.

"That won't be possible for a few more years and you know it Danzo. Even with the fox's chakra still running through his body giving him plenty of potency behind his seed, the boy is not physically developed enough for such a process to produce what you want in terms of reaching its full potential in terms of offspring," replied Tsunade while knowing she needed to ensure they stalled for time and got as much of it as possible.

"Even still, I believe samples should be taken now. Just to be safe should the Jinchuriki die," countered Danzo with Tsunade frowning.

"Would it kill you to call him by his name? Would you prefer I call you old cripple?" asked Tsunade with anger in her voice.

"I am a member of the Councils. The Jinchuriki is not. If and when said Jinchuriki does have a seat on the Council or Kami forbid becomes the Hokage of Konoha...I will address him by his name," replied Danzo with Tsunade frowning further.

"You maybe part of the Councils for now Danzo, but that doesn't give you the right to be a disrespectful asshole to the boy descended from the Uzumaki Clan. Or do you think you are above them? Or above the Senju Clan that are their cousins?" asked Tsunade while seeing Danzo sneering at her.

"I can talk about the Jinchuriki anyway I see fit. If I had my way, the Jinchuriki would be a ninja capable of crushing half of our enemies by now," countered Danzo with his words making Tsunade scowl even further.

"If it was up to you, every single ninja in Konoha would be an emotionless drone, and be sent to their deaths even if it wasn't warranted in the mission given. You would throw away just about every single ninja under your command without a care in the world just because you could," remarked Tsunade with Danzo's eyes narrowing at her.

"Ninja are weapons of war Tsunade. Always have been. I am a wielder of weapons. If I want to throw away _half _of Konoha's fighting force to preserve the village as a whole, then I will if necessary, and the Sandaime would do the same!" stated Danzo while he stomped his cane at the end as if it would emphasize his point.

"Really? Because the only one who could honestly call himself a wielder of weapons is the Hokage and _you_ are _NOT_ the Hokage right now Danzo," replied Tsunade with the Danzo gripping his cane tighter.

"She's got you there Danzo. If Hiruzen here wanted to, he could order you on a suicide mission knee deep into Iwa, and _you _would have to take it with a smile on your face," said Jiraiya with a smirk on his face.

"I am retired from active service," remarked Danzo through grit teeth while hating to say such a thing in front of others.

To him it personified weakness.

"If that is your position then you should retire from the Councils as well," added Tsunade while Danzo found himself struggling to not lash out at the woman.

"That's enough Tsunade. Any other news elsewhere Jiraiya?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya shrugging his shoulders.

"Just the new Wave Daimyo recently authorizing the construction of a bridge to increase trade and not rely on using ships in order to increase revenue. Nothing major pertaining to us. I already informed the Fire Daimyo about it so he can possibly setup some kind of exclusive trade agreement using the bridge when its completed in a little over a year," remarked Jiraiya dismissively to the Hokage with the elderly man nodding.

"Perhaps a Shinobi representative should be sent there soon to seek out potential clients for missions they might need done," added Danzo knowing more clients meant more revenue for the village and the agent sent could scout for potential children from the orphanages there to obtain some Root potentials too.

"That can wait until _after_ the bridge is complete and the Fire Daimyo establishes a trade agreement with them. If we move in now, it will make us appear to aggressive, and with a neutral country I might add," remarked Hiruzen knowing politics would come into play with the other countries and Shinobi villages since they will want a piece of Wave once the bridge was finished.

With the meeting concluded, Jiraiya stayed behind to talk about Wave on an unofficial level since he picked up some other chatter he didn't want Danzo, or the others to know about.

"Wave Country's new Daimyo is being threatened," remarked Jiraiya in a serious tone with Hiruzen now looking at him with interest.

"How? I thought the people of Wave Country were happy with their new Daimyo? She is considered to be a bit odd, but nothing we haven't heard before since the Wind Daimyo is a bit...what's the word? Hedonistic?!" questioned Hiruzen while Jiraiya shook his head.

"Its not that sensei. The people love this woman. Whoever she is. But the threat isn't from within. Its without. Not that long ago she was greeted by a businessman named Gato. He owns a large international transport company, but the truth is the man's also a criminal as well. Gato uses his vast wealth of money to finance a lot of things in almost every single country. _Illegal_ things. You name it he has some form of control or say in the market," explained Jiraiya with Hiruzen frowning.

"And this Gato wanted to conduct business with the new Wave Daimyo?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"Right. He did. Offered her a deal too good to be true from what I heard. Gato wanted to setup shop in Wave. Make it his HQ for a while since it is an island country and relies on ships for transporting goods in and out. Which his company specializes in. But this new Wave Daimyo is much smarter then he gave her credit for and ultimately turned the man down flat. Polite, but still flat all the same. Word is that Gato was cordial enough when he left, but back in his domain of a yacht he was using at the time, the businessman went on a tirade about her, and was going to teach the woman a lesson. Apparently, he doesn't take rejection well, and even less by someone of the opposite sex," replied Jiraiya with a smirk.

"No I didn't think this man would given what you described of him. So what are you thinking about Jiraiya? That we should warn this woman?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya shrugging with indecision.

"I don't know. Part of me says we should to get in her good graces. But on the other hand we have no real proof aside from my spy network. Not to mention there is no guarantee this Daimyo will take my word or the word of one of my spies at face value if I tell her about what I was told," said Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"True, but if we do nothing, and this Daimyo is assassinated we could lose our chance at gaining some favor with Wave Country. Special trade in resources. Clients. We would be losing out on an opportunity to corner the market in regards to these things because of our decision to not act on this," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"So...should I go meet this woman?" asked Jiraiya with Hiruzen smirking.

"And risk you upsetting her with your perverse way of talking? When it comes to you and women Jiraiya, the anger they generate toward you is practically at the level of a Biju," commented Hiruzen with Jiraiya crying anime tears, crouching in a corner, and randomly doodling on the ground with his finger.

"Sensei is so mean to the way of the pervert," mumbled Jiraiya while a cloud formed over him from out of nowhere and it rained heavily.

"Oh quit being overdramatic Jiraiya. I'm sending a simple team there with you to talk to this woman. One Jounin and two Chuunin should be enough. It will show we are serious and that we aren't being aggressive either," remarked Hiruzen with Jiraiya bouncing right back.

Honestly the man always did overreact when someone attacked his perverse manner of doing things.

"Well if that's all, I'll be going now. Need to do some research while I can," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen sighed when the Sannin leaped out of the window.

"Maybe I should have told him about how a few of our deadlier kunoichis are there right now? Then again, it might do him some good this time to get caught, and hurt for being a pervert," remarked Hiruzen before he heard the screams of women from the hot springs screaming out about a pervert, the smashing of property, Jiraiya running for his life, and the overall chaos caused by the Toad Sannin's actions.

And the sudden horror that came with the painful realization his student just _tripled_ the amount of paperwork he would have to handle soon.

No matter what, it seemed the Sandaime Hokage just couldn't win.

(Uchiha Clan District-At the Moment)

"Sasuke, you are pushing yourself too hard. Pace yourself!" exclaimed Uchiha Mikoto with worry in her voice at the sight of her youngest training so hard.

"I need to get stronger Mom. I need to get stronger to prove myself worthy of being Heir to the Uchiha Clan. And if not that...then finding Itachi when I'm out on missions," said Sasuke, as he had been training in the backyard all day, and was being mentored by his cousin Uchiha Tekka.

Ever since Itachi had gone missing, the Uchiha Clan had been in an uproar, and they had made their presence known to the Hokage soon after it was confirmed. Itachi had been a prodigy among the clan and was destined to lead the Uchiha Clan to new heights not seen remotely since Uchiha Madara. Itachi had become the youngest member to join ANBU and had unlocked his Sharingan Eyes at such a young age that he was considered to be a prodigy from that act alone. But now with Itachi gone, it was up to Sasuke, who being the next son of a Clan Head, was the next in line to succeed his Father, and become great like his predecessors before him.

Unfortunately, for Sasuke anyway, the bar had been set exceedingly high for him, and his Father made that known..._a lot_! Itachi had raised all expectations about the potential of the Uchiha Clan and thus it was expected of Sasuke to do just as good if not _better_ then Itachi. For Sasuke, it seemed no matter how hard he trained, his level of skill was always compared to Itachi by his Father. The Clan Head would constantly mention how Itachi did something Sasuke did at a younger age or Itachi would have mastered the Fire Jutsu showed already.

But was the biggest blow of all so far, was the simple fact Sasuke was unable to unlock his Sharingan Eyes yet, and the boy's Father had no problem rubbing it in. In fact, the man had mentioned it just yesterday how he missed Itachi, and would have brought the Uchiha Clan a great deal of pride in being part of the ANBU at such a young age with his Sharingan Eyes showing the power of the clan's blood running through his veins. It also had one other effect that many would wonder was Fugaku's reasons for setting the bar so high for Sasuke when comparing him to Itachi.

It made Sasuke angry. Very angry and very jealous of Itachi.

So angry and so jealous in fact, that Sasuke had no intention of bringing his brother back to Konoha if he found him. Well...at least not alive anyway.

At first, Sasuke wanted to get stronger to find Itachi, and bring him home so they could be a loving family again. Simple right? Sadly, his Father's own constant negativity when compared to Itachi made the young Uchiha hate his older brother, and it got so bad for Sasuke that he started having murderous thoughts over happy ones. Murderous thoughts about finding Itachi, possibly in some beaten, and tortured state with hope in the Uchiha's eyes at seeing Sasuke again. Hoping to be freed from whatever prison held him and once again return to Konoha to become the Uchiha Clan Heir once again.

Only for Sasuke to take his weapon of choice and stabbing Itachi right in the heart before twisting the blade while doing it. Hearing the sounds of Itachi scream out in pain, shock, and sorrow at being killed by his younger brother. Sasuke imagined the tale he would spin about Itachi being killed by the enemy that held, had been tortured for information, and finally killed before the younger brother could save him.

Itachi would be a symbol of the Uchiha Clan's greatness by being a martyr for them and Sasuke himself would become the next Clan Head in the process. Father would be too overcome with grief and be unable to lead the clan and Mother would praise her youngest for leading the clan in a time of sorrow.

"Don't push yourself too hard Sasuke. You're still a growing boy," replied Mikoto in a loving tone, as she worried about her youngest, and feared for him due to the look he sometimes had in his eyes.

There was a darkness in them. A darkness she was trying to prevent them from spreading and growing stronger within him.

And she was slowly losing the battle. The other members of the Uchiha Clan weren't helping either. They kept telling Sasuke that he was doing well. Making the clan proud. That all he needed to do was get his Sharingan and would be a true Uchiha on part with Itachi.

How she missed her eldest son. Mikoto could only wonder what would have happened if her son had not been kidnapped and taken away?

If she only knew, right?

The woman was so concerned for her son that Mikoto didn't see the crow hanging on a tree branch with the Sharingan Eye active. Seeing everything she did. Including the dark hatred in the boy's heart and was quite unhappy about it.

'Foolish little brother. Following the path of darkness like Father was doing before my departure. It seems whether I am involved with the clan or not, it is doomed to fall in some capacity. Whether by his hands or yours. Only I can determine that it seems. I must speak to Maleficent-sama about this and if I can return to somehow stop the clan from destroying itself,' thought the crow before cawing and taking to the air.

"Did you hear that?" asked Mikoto with Uchiha Tekka right beside her watching Sasuke train.

"It is just a crow. No big deal," remarked Tekka while Mikoto on the other hand felt a sense of hope in her heart, yet a sense of sadness at the same time.

'Itachi,' thought Mikoto to herself in the belief that the crow was in fact a sign of her son being alive and somehow finding a way to return to them.

(Gato's Yacht-A Few Days Later)

"So this is the woman you want me to kill? Her and this brat?" asked Zabuza while he looked at the picture one of Gato's goons was able to take of the woman walking around without fear with her son there too.

"Yes and no. I need to send the people of Wave a message that I run things now. If you can't get to woman while there, go for that son of hers. She seems to cherish him a great deal. My guess is she is one of those women, who has a low chance of getting knocked up, and did by some miracle with this kid being the byproduct. Make sure his death is a painful one. Rip out his guts. Impale him to a wall. Something! Anything! That way, when I see her again after it all happens, I can throw my weight around in implying he died through me, and instill fear into the bitch's heart. Don't go for her unless you have to and make sure if you do kill her, that the bitches head is on a pike for all to see with my company banner on it. I want everyone to know it was through me the bitch and her son are dead and I want them to know Gato Shipping is the one running the show," said Gato with Zabuza looking at the picture with narrowed eyes while his masked subordinate was also watching things from her position behind him.

And behind her was the Demon Brothers also looking over the masked girl's shoulder.

"You do realize if I do this, a lot of heat is going to come down on us. As such, this is going to cost you. _A lot_!" stated Zabuza with Gato frowning at the idea of paying these ninja for this.

"How much?" asked Gato before Zabuza flipped the picture over and wrote a number on the back before passing it back to the businessman.

"That much," answered Zabuza with Gato gritting his teeth in anger at the price tag.

"I shouldn't have to pay that much just to kill some high and mighty bitch on a throne!" protested Gato angrily with Zabuza narrowing his eyes and leaning forward in a very menacing way.

"Listen here Gato. My group is the one doing the killing. My group is going to be the one taking the heat for this woman's death if not her son's when we succeed in doing the job. Killing other ninjas is one thing, but a Daimyo is not easy for ninja to kill no matter what you may think. I tried to kill the Mizukage and failed because he was well protected outside of his own monstrous power. He's the only person with authority below the Water Daimyo and the latter has an army. I don't know what this lady's protection detail is, but I can tell this woman's got some punch to her, and the people of Wave love their devoted Daimyo. If I do this, I'm blacklisted from this place, and I will have Mist Hunter Nin all over my ass once word spreads about what we did. You're lucky I don't charge extra for the gory aftermath that will follow once we take off either or both their heads. A good chunk of that money will go to helping us with bribing people to stay underground and undetected when the fallout of this happens," countered Zabuza since many like Gato would think a price tag on a hit like this would be too much to pay, but most failed to realize a good chunk of the money went to the cost of staying hidden.

He had expenses that came with the life of Missing Nin and they were all heavy in terms of paying. The amount charged would cover enough that the leftover profit could be used to fund his campaign against the Mizukage.

"Fine! I'll pay damn it. Just get the job done on the first try or else I reduce your pay in half!" exclaimed Gato with Zabuza smirking underneath his bandages.

"I only need the one time," remarked Zabuza before he left with group after taking the picture from Gato.

"Are you really going to pay him that much sir?" asked one of the businessman's goons.

"Of course not! You saw the price he was asking. It was ludicrous. Extortion! The only one allowed to do that to anyone is me," stated Gato in the belief that those with money made the rules and he had more money then some Daimyos.

If Gato wanted to screw someone over in a business deal, then he could, and would since it was his money. He had the financial might and right on his side after all.

"But how will you handle him sir? We are no match for a powerful ninja of Zabuza's rumored reputation and we know absolutely nothing about his subordinates," said a second good with Gato smirking.

"The man said it himself. This job will get the attention to the Hunter Nin searching for guys like Zabuza. We make a call to his old village and tell them we know where to find their lost Demon of the Mist. By the time Zabuza finishes the job, those guys will be all over him, and his support when they least expect it. With any luck they will kill him and those other three with the man before taking off. Maybe even give us a little finders fee for our troubles," answered Gato knowing it was the one ace up his sleeve.

(Wave Daimyo's Castle)

"Your majesty. There are some Konoha Shinobi here to see you. They have requested an audience," replied a humble servant selected by Maleficent to oversee the appoints the people made to see her regarding requests for approval or assistance on matters.

"Did they say why they were here to see me for?" asked Maleficent despite the fact she already knew the reason why they were here in Wave via boat the Sannin of the group had acquired to get here.

"No your majesty. They only said it was of great importance that they speak to you," said the man while keeping his head bowed out of fear he had angered her and didn't want to see that face angry.

How he wished her son was here right now. Her son always seemed to bring out the rare gentler side of the woman. Not that she was mean, but Maleficent was not some pushover you could speak to in a disrespectful manner, and get away with it. Few had tried in the belief they could bully the woman out of her throne or weaken its position by laying out subtle hints that her son would suffer if she didn't.

It was on that day, people learned this woman's wrath was not to be tested when she used some kind of power, and obliterated the foolish soul who made _that_ particular threat. And right in front of the man's bodyguards and the rare few nobles Wave Country had when at Court to discuss business.

"I see. Where are they now?" asked Maleficent kindly to her loyal servant.

"In the main waiting area your majesty. I told them to wait there while I went to see you about granting them an audience. I also have several of the samurai we have hired from Iron Country recently in the hall watching them so none of ninja can suddenly decide to leave to snoop around," replied the servant while Maleficent nodded in approval at the man's quick thinking to ensure these ninja didn't look around for anything or anyone in particular.

"You did well in doing that my servant. I would be most displeased if you had left them unsupervised. For all we know, these Konoha ninja could be here to assassinate me, or worse yet my only son. If the latter were to happen...I don't think I need to tell you just how vengeful I can be, do I?" replied Maleficent with the servant bowing his head while shaking his head.

"No Maleficent-sama. I do not wish your wrath upon anyone. But I don't think they are here to kill you. It is only four ninja. One of them is the Toad Sannin Jiraiya. The Jounin is one Hatake Kakashi. They have two Chuunin with them. One Yuhi Kurenai. The other is a Inuzuka Hana from the Inuzuka Clan if what I was told about them with their dogs by her side being accurate," replied the servant while Maleficent nodded and knew the last ninja was the reason she sent Naruto away to another part of the island under Itachi's and Anko's watch to train.

The last thing she needed was for the Inuzuka woman or the dogs with her to pick up the boy's scent before recognizing it. If they did, the group would leave for Konoha, and then tell the Hokage about what they smelled. It wouldn't be long before the old man put two and two together in where Naruto was located. He would send ninja after ninja into Wave or use politics with the Fire Daimyo as a means to surrender her son over to him on the grounds of being kidnapped.

She couldn't and wouldn't allow it.

Not yet.

All the same, it wouldn't hurt to leave a few bread crumbs for them to follow to the end of the road to the truth, and watch their future plans blow up in their faces.

"Send them in, but inform them that this meeting is to be quick, and to the point. I have other country related matters that need attending and I don't want my time wasted hearing pointless dribble when I could be planning how to make my domain better then it already is right now," said Maleficent with the servant nodding since he knew the woman had made so many smart decisions regarding Wave Country that he didn't doubt her words for a second.

"At once your majesty," bowed the servant before leaving in a hurry to carry out his task.

'Now let us see what these fools want with me once they come here. I highly doubt they know Naruto is here. If they did, it would be more then just the Sannin, and three other ninja under his command. No. He would have brought at least five divisions with him and the Hokage himself as well to further enforce their demands. This is a courtesy call on their part,' thought Maleficent while the group entered the throne room and bowed before the dark regal figure in front of them.

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice Daimyo-sama. I am Jiraiya of the Sannin here on a small mission from Konoha assigned to me by the Sandaime Hokage," stated Jiraiya while Maleficent nodded.

"And what do I owe the _honor_ of your visit pertaining to this mission of yours? To send one such as yourself means this mission must be of vital importance, am I right Jiraiya of the Sannin?" questioned Maleficent while seeing Jiraiya nod while glad the woman was not an airhead like some leaders tended to be at times and relied on their Advisors to do things for them.

Though her dark attire and horns made him a bit...concerned.

"Yes your majesty. My spy network has uncovered a plot to have you and possibly your son..._assassinated_," said Jiraiya while Hana's three dogs suddenly yet silently whimpered in fear when they started to smell around.

"_Assassinated_? Me?! And my son?! Who in my country that I love would _dare _to_ betray_ and _assassinate_ ME?" questioned Maleficent though she already knew and had to play the part of being out of the loop.

And seeing the nervous Konoha Shinobi looking at her with a sudden jolt of fear was quite enjoyable too.

"It was a businessman named Gato. He hired a Missing Nin named Momochi Zabuza formerly of Kiri to do the job. Not that long ago you granted Gato an audience regarding a business opportunity he was seeking here in Wave Country and you turned him down. He did not take the rejection well I'm afraid," answered Jiraiya while Hana began trying to calm her dogs while Kakashi and Kurenai easily noticed the woman in front of them was not an ordinary Daimyo by any means.

Not by a long shot.

"Apparently not. I see I was too merciful in letting him leave in one piece. Even if the fool didn't offend me outright when we met, I knew his proposed business offer would bleed my country dry, and my people would slowly starve. Hence why I turned it down. Now the fool is a sore loser in our little game from the meeting we played and wants to get back at me," surmised Maleficent while her magical power slowly seeped out of her, spreading on the ground, the candles in the throne room flickering, almost struggling to stay alive, as if life itself was being choked right out of them, and making the woman on the throne look truly terrifying.

'What is this power? Its as if death or even darkness itself is in this room and coming out of this woman!' thought Kakashi while understanding why this woman on the throne was rumored to be loved, feared, and respected all in one package.

Those horns on her head didn't make things easier either in terms of keeping the feeling of fear down.

"I thank you for your assistance in bringing this news to my attention. Now I must ask that you to leave," replied Maleficent while seeing the four ninja in front of her hesitate to comply.

"But what about protection from Zabuza? Kakashi here is an accomplished Jounin and could be assigned to protect you or your son," replied Jiraiya knowing the rumored child of this Daimyo was also in danger as well.

"_I _do not need Konoha's ninja for protection. Nor does my son. In fact, I would sooner let the assassin get close within spitting distance then letting any of your ninja guard either of us," declared Maleficent hotly while glaring daggers at the Sannin to the shock of the man and his group.

"What? Why?!" asked Kakashi this time while Maleficent just stared at the man with cold angry eyes filled with darkness and green fire.

"I have my reasons. None of which I have to share with you. Now get out!" commanded Maleficent since seeing the boy's so called Godfather for the first time in person helped the dark witch realize she was not impressed by him in the slightest.

Not to mention the Yondaime's only remaining student was there too. The nerve of them coming here. Maleficent's eyes glowed dangerously at them both. Two people connected to her son's naive Father and they did little to _nothing_ to help the boy when in Konoha. Never once visiting. Never once protecting him. It shouldn't matter what the Hokage had decreed to _compromise _with the filth in the village. The Hokage was _suppose_ to be the final authority when it came to making decisions in Konoha, but the old fool let such a thing be shared by those that were not satisfied with what they were given! What's more, the old fool did nothing to try taking the power back, and simply let them take more with each passing day.

And these two did nothing to help in any of it. Her minions of old were more competent then these two morons for ninja and that was saying something!

One drowned himself in women at brothels and writing porn!

_Disgusting_!

The other read said porn, was tardy, and made up lame excuses when explaining why he was late.

_Pathetic_!

Useless imbeciles! The both of them!

And the mere sight of these two was making the dark witch slowly lose her patience in dealing with them. They reminded her of King Stephan and his betrayals and his lack of courage in telling his loving Queen the truth about his relationship with the dark witch prior to ascending to the throne. Of how he took her wings, yet left her to suffer in pain both physical, and mental to the level that she desired vengeance upon the fool for his past actions.

"With respect your majesty, I must protest your decision to throw us out, when we could help defend your home, and find weaknesses your assassin would use to kill you," replied Jiraiya while slowly walking toward the woman before he was violently thrown back by an unknown source of incredible power coming from Maleficent's staff.

"And as I told you earlier Jiraiya of Sannin, let this assassin of Gato come. I will enjoy showing my enemy what it means to cross a ruler of these lands such as myself. I will ensure it will be the last mistake these assassin and his employer ever do," countered Maleficent with Jiraiya looking stunned at what this woman just did before nodding and slowly motioned for the other three to leave.

"What was that? I've never felt anything like that before. Have you?" asked Kakashi once they were out of the castle and felt they could talk freely.

"I don't know. But...there is something _off_ about her. Something in my gut tells me there is more to her then I suspect as a simple Daimyo of Wave Country," replied Jiraiya while glancing back at the castle in thought.

"What are you thinking exactly Jiraiya-sama?" asked Kurenai while seeing him thinking in a serious way for once and not in a perverse manner that nearly got him castrated for peeping in the hot springs back in Konoha.

"I don't know what to think, but...I think a look into the identity of her son is something we should take a look into. Let's ask around. I'm sure we can get a detailed description of her son," offered Jiraiya with his instincts telling him something was wrong with this picture.

None of them noticed the dark silhouette of a crow perched on the castle roof with a Sharingan Eye watching them. Without a word, it took flight, and made for a nearby window before entering the throne room to land on Maleficent right arm.

"So my pet, does Jiraiya of the Sannin suspect anything?" asked Maleficent with Itachi in his crow form nodding.

"Caw! Caw! Caw!" replied Itachi though Maleficent was able to understand him perfectly just like those of the Inuzuka Clan do their dogs when they bark.

"I suppose my temper got the best of myself. But can you blame me for the small lack of restraint? Those two were very close to Naruto's Father. One was the man's teacher and the other his student. Not _once _did they come to aid the man's son and they come here to offer protection for him without even knowing it! Why not protect Naruto when he was in Konoha? Why not ensure he was protected from their abuse? Such fools are filth and have no business being on my lands or near _MY son_!" exclaimed Maleficent before she used her magic to spy on the ninja asking about her son.

"Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!" replied Itachi in his crow form.

"I know my pet. I know a great number of the citizens in this land have met my son. It doesn't matter. Not once have I called Naruto by his name when in front of the people and the description of my child is not enough for him to present a case to those he serves. Let Jiraiya become suspicious of us and investigate this issue further. It will be all the more delicious when he finally confirms the truth and is too late to stop my son from taking back what is rightfully his by his blood on his Mother's side of the family," replied Maleficent before she let the bird fly off her arm and transform into Itachi once more.

"What if Jiraiya comes back himself and sneaks around. Despite his various faults, he is the best Spy Master that Konoha has to offer. There are places he can go that few can and Jiraiya may try to come back here soon enough. What if the Sannin seeks into Wave to come here for Naruto?" questioned Itachi with Maleficent smirking at him.

"I assure you Itachi, for all of Jiraiya's level of power, mine dwarfs his by far since I have been taking the chakra from my gracious son's body to become stronger then ever before. I am more then ready to handle the Toad Sannin now over when I was first freed years ago by my son. Speaking of Naruto, how is my son doing? You took him to the ruins of his biological Mother's homeland, correct? I trust it wasn't too..._horrifying_ for him to see them?" questioned Maleficent since she was told that the ruin of Whirlpool were not far from Wave and that some pieces of Whirlpool had broken off from the land to become part of what Wave was right now.

Hence why Naruto was granted the right to take a pilgrimage to see it under Itachi's and Anko's supervision to learn what he could about his family's clan before it was destroyed.

"No Maleficent-sama. I scouted ahead to ensure what Naruto-sama was able to see was not too damaging for his mind to handle. I sensed he wished it was possible to know them and wonder what they thought of him. Anko and myself tried to help Naruto-sama as best we could, but alas...our words can only have such a profound impact on such personal matters," replied Itachi with Maleficent nodding.

"And where is my son now? Training with Anko?" asked Maleficent with Itachi nodding once.

"Yes. He is training and digging around the ruins for anything pertaining to the Uzumaki Clan that could be brought back to learn with you watching. Even now, Naruto-sama is doing just about everything in his power to impress you Maleficent-sama. It is rare to see one so young push himself like he does," replied Itachi while impressed by the boy's hard work.

And doing it for all the right reasons too.

"And what has he learned while there? Surely there is something among his clan ruins that will help my son grow stronger?" asked Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"There was a journal there. Left by an unknown Uzumaki, who was experimenting in the use of chakra chains. After reading the journal myself, I determined this person had the same power as Uzumaki Kushina did, and was possibly a blood relative of sorts. I can only assume it was one of her Grandparents or maybe even Great Grandparents since there has been no official record anywhere about chakra chains since Kushina herself used them," answered Itachi with Maleficent looking very interested at this point.

"Really? And my son can use this too? From what you are saying, these chakra chains are past down from parent to child," questioned Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"Yes Mistress. It would appear that way. Naruto was able to understand what was being explained in the journals and unlocked the ability to use them. Granted, it was only _one_ chakra chain, but with more practice he will increase the number," explained Itachi with Maleficent smiling a happy smile that told the Uchiha this was good news in her eyes.

"Excellent. I want my son to be stronger then most full grown adult ninjas under the rank of Jounin. I want him so strong that even Momochi Zabuza is _nothing_ compared to him. Do you understand Itachi?" said Maleficent with Itachi bowing his head.

"Yes Mistress. I will. When do you wish Naruto-sama to return home?" asked Itachi with Maleficent thinking it over.

"Train him on the island for two more days, then come back here so I can see his progress with the chakra chains myself. I want him to produce at least two chakra chains upon his return," commanded Maleficent with Itachi nodding before transforming into a crow and taking off to Whirlpool.

And as he did, a single masked figure watched the ninja turned crow leave the castle for that destination before heading off to meet with its Master.

"You were right to suspect something about the crow from the rumors we heard about it being a form of messenger of sorts. Its heading to the ruins of Whirlpool as we speak Zabuza-sama. Possibly to where the boy has been taken for his protection," commented Haku while Zabuza smirked behind his bandages.

"Figures. Gato's contract on the Wave Daimyo and her son isn't exactly a well kept secret if Jiraiya of the Sannin comes to tell her in person. No matter. Whirlpool is where we will go for our first target. We need to hurry though. Just getting there is dangerous enough as it is," replied Zabuza with his subordinates nodding since they heard the stories of how difficult it is to cross the waters just to get to the land itself.

It was time to kill and get paid.

(With Jiraiya)

"So the kid has blonde hair and blue eyes? What about his face?" asked Jiraiya curiously while asking a woman named Tsunami curiously.

"I have never actually seen his face. My Father just did business with the Wave Daimyo in commissioning a bridge be made for the main land. He saw the boy there not that long ago sitting on the throne beside his Mother. She wanted him to learn how to rule over the country in the future so she involves him in almost all major affairs. He told me what the boy looks like so you need to talk to my Father Tazuna," replied Tsunami while seeing Jiraiya nod.

"And where can I find your Father?" asked Jiraiya with Tsunami sighing in sadness since she knew _exactly_ where her Father was right now.

"Knowing him after securing such a major deal with the Wave Daimyo, I imagine he is currently at the nearest bar...drinking. Again!" exclaimed Tsunami since her Father did a lot of that these days.

"Thanks. Oh! One more thing. Did your Father ever hear the boy's name?" asked Jiraiya curiously with Tsunami thinking it over.

"No. Not once. According to my Father, when Maleficent-sama addressed the boy she always called him 'her son' every single time, and never said his name," replied Tsunami with the woman not seeing Jiraiya's eyes narrow slightly at this.

"I see. Thank you Tsunami-san. I will speak to your Father now," said Jiraiya while his group leaving to find Tazuna.

"Do you really think this boy the Wave Daimyo has for a son is really Naruto?" asked Kakashi curiously while Jiraiya nodded.

"The more I hear about the boy, the more I feel it to be true Kakashi. Think about it. This woman was made the new Daimyo within a short time of being the Advisor to her predecessor. She came here with a boy six years old shortly after Naruto was reported missing. Not only that, but the woman wields some kind of power I have never seen, or heard about in my travels. She does not call out Naruto's name when in the presence of others in a clever attempt to keep people like us from knowing the child's identity right away. I doubt she ever considered we would investigate further into that of her child to this level, but if we confirm the boy is Naruto, we must report this to the Hokage, and get the Fire Daimyo involved in this mess," replied Jiraiya with Kakashi and the other two frowning.

"What? Why? Naruto was born in Konoha. He was taken out of Konoha. Possibly against his will or tricked by this woman to be her son so she could harness the power of the Biju sealed inside of him," Kakashi countered with Jiraiya nodding since that was always a possibility.

"True, but we don't know if this woman knows _exactly_ what Naruto is in terms of being a Jinchuriki. Officially, if this is Naruto, he is her son, and heir to Wave Country with all sorts of rules attached. Simply taking him now by force or in secret will only make this woman angry and make _us_ look like the bad guys. By going to the Hokage, who will in turn go to the Fire Daimyo, we can get this issue resolved immediately, and without any unnecessary bloodshed," replied Jiraiya with Kakashi nodding.

"What about the boy himself? After all this time I doubt he would willingly leave the woman he has called his Mother for so many years?" asked Kurenai with Jiraiya nodding and not liking what he would have to say next.

"If we find out it is Naruto, but he refuses to leave with us, I will subdue him long enough to get him back to Konoha, and have Inoichi alter or erase his memories of her. We can't allow such an attachment to a strange and powerful woman here in Wave be stronger and greater then what it should have been with Konoha," replied Jiraiya with Kurenai and Hana both frowning at this.

"My dogs are afraid of her. They sensed an sinister power in her. I don't think we should be provoking such a woman by taking her son. Even if it is Uzumaki Naruto. From all accounts of people who have seen her adopted son, the boy is genuinely happy with this woman," remarked Hana with Jiraiya's frown deepening.

"Even so, if this is Naruto, he should be in Konoha, and become a loyal Shinobi of the village in the future. We cannot allow this woman to turn him into something Naruto is not and follow a path he is not meant to walk," replied Jiraiya with Kurenai frowning at this.

"With all due respect Jiraiya-sama, but who gave you the right to decide just what path Uzumaki Naruto should take in life?" asked Kurenai since she felt it was not Jiraiya's place to decide the life of a child and act like any other path the child might want to take was wrong.

Unless it was the path Orochimaru took and then it was _very_ wrong!

"The Yondaime did when he made me Godfather to the boy," replied Jiraiya firmly with all three ninja behind him looking shocked by this.

"What? Then why weren't you there for Naruto after the sealing?" asked Kakashi with Jiraiya stopping in his path to look at them.

"Because the Sandaime told me he could handle it. And like a fool...I believed him," said Jiraiya before he continued walking while Kakashi followed with Hana following him with Kurenai frowning further at the Sannin's words.

He needed to confirm his suspicions about the Daimyo's adopted son, but deep down in his heart...Jiraiya knew his suspicions were correct before he even setting foot in the bar where Tazuna was drinking.

(A/N: YAY! I updated. One more chapter for you good people tired from Black Friday and made it home alive with the spoils of conquest of invading your nearest store for all the good deals. This is my gift to you in honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday being over, but needing more time to rest, and give you something to enjoy before getting ready for Cyber Monday. Until next time...PEACE!)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-New Addition and Troubles

Naruto knew they were here. His sensing abilities once used by his clan had been honed by Anko and Itachi to sense others within a 5 mile radius. They tried to be sneaky about it, but failed due to the little shocks of chakra on the bottom of their feet when running through the trees. Four quick blips in his mind close together that if they were any closer would make up something larger and more detectable.

"How close are they?" asked Itachi while seeing Naruto concentrating on their uninvited guests.

"Close. They'll be here within moments at the speed they are going. One is using a bit more chakra then the other three. Most likely Zabuza due to him supporting the giant sword when moving with it on his back," replied Naruto with Anko and Itachi nodding.

"Finally! I get a chance to see how good my training has come after all these years," said Anko, as she trained constantly with Itachi when she wasn't training Naruto, and wanted to match her skills with someone who was out for blood.

"Remember Anko, our Mistress wants at least _two_ of the four assassins brought back to her _alive_! Primarily Zabuza being one of them," remarked Itachi with Anko nodding.

"I know. I know. Doesn't mean I can't cause them some major injuries," countered Anko with a slight pout.

"Enough! They are here. Itachi will take Zabuza. I will handle the masked Hunter Nin wearing ninja with him. Anko can have the other two. Disable them, but kill only if it is necessary," commanded Naruto with both ninja beside him nodding.

"So Uchiha Itachi wasn't kidnapped after all. He betrayed Konoha to serve a Daimyo on his own. They portray you as being taken from the village and raised on a pedestal in the halls of your clan. If they only knew the truth about where you have been hiding right?" mocked the echoing voice of Momochi Zabuza before a mist moved through the area.

"Indeed," remarked Itachi while keeping his mouth shut about how he got roped into the service of his current Mistress.

"And Mitarashi Anko. I heard you were once the apprentice to a Sannin. A notorious one at that. Did you leave with Itachi too for freedom? I don't blame you. If I was the student to someone like Orochimaru, I would leave Konoha too. I hear they don't care for those who are connected to traitors," remarked Zabuza when focusing on Anko now.

"I don't have to answer to a piece of shit like you!" exclaimed Anko while shaking her fist at the Missing Nin and making Itachi sigh since Orochimaru was still quite the touchy subject for the woman.

At least they were making such good progress on her temper regarding it. Two years ago she would have thrown a barrage of kunai and snakes at him for saying the Sannin's name in a single sentence for over an hour.

"Enough! You know your orders. Carry them out!" commanded Naruto seriously since he had been taught to take matters like this seriously despite the growing killing intent sent his way by Zabuza.

"Yes Naruto-sama," replied Itachi and Anko at the same time.

"Naruto? As in...Uzumaki Naruto?" asked Zabuza knowing he just hit the mother load of information.

This kid was _suppose _to be in Konoha. He was _suppose _to be in a deep coma and residing in the Senju Clan home. He was also _suppose_ to be treated by Senju Tsunade herself until a time the kid recovered.

So what the Hell was this boy doing here? Granted, Naruto was a supposed Uzumaki, and this was the Uzumaki ancestral homeland, but why the deception? Who was in on it?

"It seems you've been found out Naruto-sama," whispered Itachi with Naruto nodding.

"Take him. We need him alive per my Mother's orders. None of them can leave here to possibly leak this information," Naruto whispered back and Itachi nodded.

"Zabuza-sama?" questioned Haku while seeing Naruto now taking out a pair of kunai with one in each hand.

"You know what to do Haku. I'll leave the blonde in your hands. Disable him. If we give him to Konoha alive while tricking Gato into thinking he's dead, our payday will be even bigger," remarked Zabuza with Haku nodding before she and the other two went after their targets while the Demon of the Mist went after Itachi.

(With Anko)

The Demon Brothers moved quickly around Anko. The woman was clearly no pushover in terms of skill and would spell doom for either of them on their own. However, if they worked together, the two former Kiri ninja had speed, maneuverability, and teamwork on their side against the kunoichi.

Anko of course knew this due to the Bingo Book that Itachi had acquired and had read all about who Zabuza's accomplices were during the coup. against the Mizukage. She also knew about their gauntlets laced with poison and the chain attached to said gauntlets in order to rip their victims to shreds if they didn't get the target with the poison. Not that it mattered to her since Anko had been training with Itachi and Naruto to combat multiple enemies. When the Demon Brothers used their standard tag team attack on Anko, she had used her snakes to throw them off course in move to wrap her up in chains. Seeing their tag team chain attack wouldn't work here, the two chose close range striking, and let the gauntlets and poison do the job.

While their reflexes were fast, Anko was faster then either one, and used a pair of kunai in each hand to keep the two from achieving her objective. It became a crude dance for the three of them, as the Demon Brothers had to coordinate their attacks perfectly, and try not to stab the other with their poisonous gauntlets. Not to mention the chain itself was still attached to them and could be a hindrance as well as an advantage depending on how they attacked.

"She's good brother," commented Gozu while his brother Meizu nodding.

"As expected from Orochimaru's former student brother," added Meizu while trying to slash at Anko with his gauntlet.

Dodging the weapon, Anko used her natural agility to weave around the two, and their chain in a very snake like manner. She soon saw an opening and took it by pinning the chain to the ground with tip part of a kunai in the "hole" part of the chain, which caused both brothers to jerk at the sudden stop in motion. It almost dislocated their shoulders and left them both open to an attack by Anko, who took the opening with her snakes shooting from her trench coat. The snakes wrapped around both Gozu and Meizu that kept them from using their arms, legs, and finally wrapped around their necks.

"If you knew anything about me instead of just following rumors, you would know my connection to the snakes never left. Just my loyalty to _that_ man," remarked Anko while her snakes were in position to bit their heads off.

Two down. Two to go.

(With Zabuza)

"I heard a lot of stories about you over the years. Making ANBU roughly around the age of thirteen is quite impressive. You even unlocked your eyes to their fullest by that point too. Let us see just how a rumored prodigy of the Uchiha Clan matches up against one of the former Seven Swordsman of the Mist," remarked Zabuza with his sword in hand and generating a lot of mist in the area.

"I see you did some homework on me to some extent. But you fail to realize I do not rely on my Sharingan like most of my clan does so do not expect to see my Dojutsu until it is too late," replied Itachi while bringing out his tanto and eyeing the Missing Nin from Kiri with calculating eyes.

"Really? That's a first. A bloodline user who doesn't rely on his bloodline. This will be even more fun then I first thought," remarked Zabuza before letting the mist in the area consume him to become invisible to the naked eye.

'Momochi Zabuza is said to be a Master of the Silent Killing Technique. He can move silently without being seen or heard when moving in for the kill. I also know the man uses Water Clones on occasion, but they require a lot more chakra when there is no water in the area, and there isn't a source of water near here. That doesn't mean he won't still make them if he tries. I need to use _all_ of my senses to beat him,' thought Itachi while focusing on the task of beating Zabuza at his own game.

"You're quite calm for someone about to die. Have you made peace with yourself? Have you made peace with the simple horrifying truth that your duty to your female Wave Daimyo is going to end in failure?" taunted Zabuza with his voice echoing around him in the mist.

"I will only fail when I die. Until then, you have yet to win," remarked Itachi calmly with Zabuza letting out a chuckle.

"I don't need to kill you. Though staining my sword with the blood of an Uchiha will bring me a good deal of satisfaction. Haku is the one you should be worried about. Her skills will take down that Uzumaki brat easily," countered Zabuza while Itachi just stood there completely calm through the thick mist.

"And what makes you think Naruto-sama needs protecting? Your accomplice wearing the Hunter Nin mask maybe skilled in the Shinobi Arts like you claim, but Naruto-sama is not a pampered kid. We have ensured his overall training was harsh and almost cruel to ensure his future survival," Itachi shot back before his instincts kicked in and ducked in order to dodge a massive sword from cutting him in half.

"I know all about your blonde haired Uzumaki. Word is that he was treated pretty badly in Konoha. Word is that there is something about him that everyone hates. And I have an idea on just what that _something_ is since I met someone like him before I left Kiri," said Zabuza with Itachi countering with a upward thrust with his tanto to stab the Missing Nin in the ribs, but missed at the last moment when former Kiri ninja moved out of its path.

"So you know about that. Then you know why he can't go back to Konoha," countered Itachi while moving once again to pierce the man's chest with his tanto, but Zabuza used his sword to deflect it.

"Yeah I do. But the gaki's life is not my problem. My only concern is getting paid and the boy being brought back to Konoha alive is my new meal ticket into getting a whole lot of money from certain people willing to pay through the nose to have him," replied Zabuza while swinging his sword at Itachi, who got cut in half, but went "poof!" moments later, and revealed that he was a Shadow Clone.

"His Mother will not allow that and neither will I," replied Itachi while striking at Zabuza from behind, but the Missing Nin leaped out of the way.

"As if that woman can stop me. She's just some prissy gothic woman sitting pretty on her throne. What does she know?" mocked Zabuza with Itachi narrowing his eyes slightly.

"That woman is not to be trifled with. I have seen what she can do with just a spin of her finger and a pointing of her staff. I shudder to think what would happen if she unleashed all of it upon the world," replied Itachi while Zabuza letting out a chuckle.

"Seriously?! The might Uchiha Itachi is afraid of some dark dressed woman with horns? I never thought I would see the day," said Zabuza mockingly while Itachi shook his head.

"You have not seen what I have seen regarding this woman. But you will soon enough," said Itachi before his Sharingan Eyes appeared and they spun quickly to catch Zabuza in a Genjutsu to cause the man to collapse before he could even think to break it.

Three down. One to go.

(With Naruto)

"Your chakra level is high for someone your age. Zabuza trained you well," commented Naruto since he knew the only way Haku could have chakra around that of a Chuunin at her age was for someone like Zabuza to be a harsh teacher.

"Yes. Zabuza-sama found me when I was a child on the streets, in the bitter cold of Water Country, and eating out of a trash can. He took me in, trained me in the ninja arts, and I became his loyal tool. Everything he asked of me was done without hesitation or fear. I owe him my life," replied Haku, as she launched senbon needles at Naruto, who dodged or deflected them with ease.

"And yet I hear the hint of affection in your tone. Your chakra has a small yet noticeable warmth to it when mentioning Zabuza," remarked Naruto with Haku frowning behind her mask.

"What my chakra feels like when mentioning Zabuza-sama is of no concern to you. I will disable you and ensure through your capture as well as return to Konoha that Zabuza-sama's dreams will be one step closer to completion," declared Haku, as she moved in closer for hand to hand combat with her senbon needles while Naruto moved to meet her with his kunai.

"And what makes you think the higher-ups in Konoha will allow you or Zabuza to leave knowing what you know? What makes you think they will honor any trade of money for myself?" questioned Naruto with Haku not answering since that was always a factor and it wasn't like Konoha _had _to accept any offer Zabuza made for the boy's return.

If anything, the village could send out wave after wave of ninja to find out where they were hiding with Naruto, storm the place, kill them all, bring back the blonde alive, and that would be the end of it. Konoha had numbers, skills ninja capable of taking down a small force like herself, the Demon Brothers, and Zabuza if they truly wished it. Still, even if Haku wished to hold off on such an exchange, Zabuza would not, and it was her sworn duty to obey her Master to the end.

"I cannot concern myself with that right now. What I can do however, is ensure that my mission is carried out and Zabuza's orders are followed to the letter," replied Haku, as she clashed with Naruto violently found his speed to be impressive for someone younger then herself.

"His orders will get you killed. Or worse. If you are from Water Country and have been with Zabuza for some time now, I can guess you have some kind of bloodline," deduced Naruto with the two deadlocked in terms of fighting.

"I do. On my Mother's side of the family. Someone like me would be hunted by Kiri by the order of the Mizukage himself," answered Haku while Naruto narrowed his eyes at her.

"Then you know what will happen if Konoha finds out about that. My Mother ensured my two teachers behind you hid nothing from me about the world. About the other four Shinobi villages and what they would do to someone like you if given the chance. The Leaf above all others would do that to you without any regard to your wants. Do you really want to risk it? Being treated like _that_?!" questioned Naruto with Haku tightening her grip on the wrist of his left hand while Naruto did same with his right.

"It won't happen. Neither Zabuza-sama nor I will allow such a thing to occur," countered Haku with Naruto scowling at her.

"And neither will I," replied Naruto cryptically before head butting the masked girl hard enough to make the mask fall off the reveal Haku's beautiful face.

Naruto followed up by throwing the girl over his shoulder and onto the ground, but Haku was no slouch, and kicked back at him with her sandaled foot to his forehead. This forced Naruto to let go of the girl, who rolled out of the blonde's reach, and saw him ignoring his now bleeding forehead to stayed focused on her. She _could_ use her ice mirrors, but they were not perfected just yet, and without water nearby to draw from, it would require a lot more chakra to make let alone maintain it.

"Tell me, why do you not wish to return to Konoha? You come from the Uzumaki Clan, correct?" asked Haku while trying to stall for time.

"I do belong to the Uzumaki Clan, but that doesn't mean I will be welcome in Konoha like you think. Quite the opposite," replied Naruto with Haku frowning confusion.

"I do not understand. Zabuza-sama told me about the history of Uzumaki Clan as it was told to him in Kiri before he became a Missing Nin. You have connections to the Senju Clan through kinship as they are a cousin clan and even more by marriage when Uzumaki Mito married Senju Hashirama to further solidify the alliance during that time," replied Haku with Naruto nodding since Itachi told him the same thing.

"I know about that. Itachi-sensei told me the history of the Uchiha, the Uzumaki, and the Senju Clan with their connection to one another. But that's not even the worst part of this tale. It gets worse! Which is what makes the sins of Konoha all the more greater. I cannot in good conscious return to Konoha and embrace them with love. Not after their betrayal to my family on both sides," replied Naruto before two chakra chains shot out of his back and shot toward Haku in surprise.

'Those chains are made of chakra, but the chakra itself is not the same as mine, or even his own normal chakra. This is different,' thought Haku, as she dodged the chains aimed at her, and saw they acted almost as if they were alive.

But how?

Was this unique only to the Uzumaki Clan?

"My place is by the side of my Mother. My place is here in Wave and its people. One day I will become the next Wave Daimyo and I will use my power to protect the citizens in it from the greedy corrupt _filth_ like those in Konoha!" exclaimed Naruto before one of his chakra chains got one of Haku's ankles during one of her jumps and pulled the girl down to the ground with the other chain wrapped around the neck.

'These chains, they are somehow suppressing my chakra, and at the same time I don't feel like I'm in danger. This chakra is...soothing? Almost...comforting? What is this?' thought Haku, as she felt herself get tired, and the more she struggled the more the darkness crept into her eyes before falling unconscious.

"You were able to successfully use two chakra chains well this time and under the heat of battle no less. Maleficent-sama will be most pleased Naruto-sama," remarked Itachi while tying up Zabuza while Anko did the same once she got the poison covered gauntlets off the Demon Brothers before using their own chain to tie them up.

And made pointy part of the chain dug tightly into their flesh.

"I wanted to make Kaa-san proud when you told me what she wanted. I wasn't about to disappoint her," replied Naruto while keeping Haku suspended off the ground with the chakra chains and picked up the girl's Hunter Nin mask.

"A wise decision. Come! We need to bring these four to Maleficent-sama. She has plans for them. Well...some of them," said Itachi with Naruto nodding and the group.

(Konoha-Hokage Tower-Sometime Later)

"You're sure about this? Absolutely sure?" questioned Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"Without a doubt sensei. I asked the bridge builder assigned by the Wave Daimyo to build the new bridge what the boy looked like. I even showed him a picture we have of Naruto to him and the old man confirmed it was Naruto. A younger looking version of Naruto, but it was still our boy all the same. This woman named Maleficent is clearly the one responsible for taking Naruto roughly five years ago. It is also said she sometimes has a single crow and python snake hanging around her body at times," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen narrowing his eyes at that last part.

"Meaning she might also have Itachi and Anko. That this woman somehow turned them into animals based forms befitting their connection to said animals," added the Sandaime Hokage with Jiraiya nodding.

"With Itachi being the crow and Anko being the snake," concluded Jiraiya with Hiruzen sighing since this was getting complicated.

"My thoughts exactly. She did something to them. Bound them to her in some enslaved manner. I would bet they can change back into their human forms if they wanted to, but something tells me this woman has the final say in the end," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen sighing again and leaning back against his chair.

"I'll have to bring this to the Councils soon. Confirm your suspicions Jiraiya. Make them one hundred percent _accurate_ or as damn close as you can. Anything I bring to the Fire Daimyo now would be considered circumstantial at best. Wave is seeking to expand its reach in the trading world with that bridge they are planning to make. Meaning a lot of Daimyos and Countries unable to get goods from Wave Country before now finally have a chance. This can get very nasty politically the longer it gets dragged out and we need to prevent that from happen. If this woman knows enough about Naruto, she could use it as a means to keep the boy away from Konoha, or possibly demand an investigation be done to find out why the boy was mistreated before she took him away from the village. The people who have hurt the boy have not exactly kept their mouths shut," remarked Hiruzen knowing the people had been very open about hating the boy recently, talking about it, and showing no regret whatsoever.

Even when told the boy was part of a clan that helped found Konoha in the first place they spat on the Uzumaki Clan name. They called the Uzumaki Clan a bunch of island foreigners and seal loving freaks that loved swirling water. That they should have just drowned in it if not for their clan's fall in the Second Shinobi War at the hands of their enemies.

"They wouldn't be dishonoring the Uzumaki Clan so much if they knew it was because of them that Konoha has the seals incorporated into the village to defend against attackers. That Uzumaki Mito was a Jinchuriki and so was Kushina before Naruto. Hell, you might as well make them shit their pants, and just reveal Naruto's parentage to see what happens next. It couldn't hurt," offered Jiraiya since many in the village spat on Naruto's life, yet praised his Father, and hailed the man as a hero long after death.

"I can't risk it now. If we did, it would create a major backlash for us should this woman demand the Fire Daimyo do a full investigation of the village. If that happens, Konoha is sunk, and nothing we do can save it from ruin. Word would get out what we did and our past clients along with any future ones will abandon us for other villages. Konoha will become a shadow of itself. Best to have the public show their true faces when it happens then make it worse by trying to hide it or use ignorance as an excuse for their past sins," replied Hiruzen with Jiraiya frowning a bit.

"That includes you sensei. You had a hand in his suffering as well to a certain extent too even if was unintentional," Jiraiya reminded the Sandaime Hokage.

"I know Jiraiya. You are in that same boat as well. The only one saved from it is Tsunade since she was never in the village at the time. Not only that, but we never told her about Naruto through any messages in fear they would be intercepted. He is the closest thing Tsunade has left aside from Shizune that is considered family. I'm surprised she didn't beat you within an inch of your life..._again_!" remarked Hiruzen with Jiraiya shivering at the memory.

"She said that would be too merciful. Instead, Tsunade beat me close to it and to the point of nearly falling unconscious. She whispered into my ear that if I did something like that again for whatever reason she would...she would rip my balls off before crushing them into powder and...and make me swallow it all," replied Jiraiya while turning green in the face at the idea.

He wasn't the only one with a green face at this point.

"I didn't need to know that," remarked Hiruzen since that image wasn't exactly pleasant.

"You asked," countered Jiraiya.

"Technically, I didn't. I merely made an observation," the Sandaime shot back.

"Getting back on track, how do we handle this situation outside of politics? Should we try to kidnap Naruto? We need him here to make our cover story believable when Danzo comes snooping around for himself should he call our bluff about the boy being here in Konoha," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen thinking it over.

"For now, we must keep this quiet. While we can't do anything _yet_, it doesn't mean we cannot prepare for the actual event. Inform Tsunade of this latest development, but make sure she is in her home with Shizune when you do. Someone has to restrain my former student from going on a rampage," answered Hiruzen knowing Tsunade's temper would make the woman act irrationally if she knew Naruto was alive and being raised by some strange woman with strange powers.

"Sure. Give me the hard missions where my body suffers," commented Jiraiya before leaving via the window.

'If this woman does pose a threat, I may have to see this woman personally, and try to resolves this peacefully. If this Daimyo refuses to relinquish Anko, Itachi, and Naruto I will have to use force to get it done,' thought Hiruzen knowing that he didn't want it to happen, but for the good of Konoha, and keeping it strong...he would bring all three back by force.

(Wave Daimyo Castle)

"You are making a big mistake in keeping us alive this long brat. We've been in tougher situation like this," commented Zabuza while Naruto ignored the bound Missing Nin behind him being escorted through the halls with the Demon Brother and Haku.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Anko were behind the four ninja assailants with their keen eyes watching them closely.

"No, you haven't. My Mother is someone you have never met before in your life Zabuza-san. When you meet her, I expect the four of you to kneel, and keep your heads bowed. Speaking in a disrespectful tone will not be tolerated either. You are not speaking to just anyone. You will be brought before a Daimyo and my Mother. Failure to comply with this order I am giving you will lead to you facing some..._painful_ consequences. I will not be held responsible because your pride refuses to take a hit," stated Naruto while Zabuza snorted at the boy since he wanted people to respect his Mother.

"I don't know if you realize this kid, but I'm not exactly one of those people who bows to a Daimyo simply because they are a Daimyo. To me, a Daimyo is just someone with an overinflated ego of themselves, and demands they be obeyed simply because it is their birthright to sit on the throne," countered Zabuza with Naruto stopping to look at the Missing Nin with an extremely serious look one did not find on a child so young.

"First off, my Mother maybe a Daimyo, but she is not like you describe, and unlike the other pathetic rulers you are so use to...she has the power to back it up. Don't say I didn't warn you when she lashes it out and sprays your organs all over the place and all because you didn't listen," warned Naruto before they continued Naruto while Zabuza glanced at Haku and the Demon Brothers.

Haku was a little worried given how Zabuza-sama had enough pride in himself to cover for the rest of them and it tended to get the swordsman into a bit of trouble at times. The only difference here when compared to the others was Haku and the Demon Brothers were in position to bail him out.

The group made their way to the throne room where Maleficent sat on her throne with an menacing aura that got stronger with each step closer they all took. Zabuza started to feel a heavy sweat forming. Haku whimpered in fear at the sight of this woman, who was far more intimidating in person then the picture they saw of her on Gato's yacht when they were given this assignment. The two Demon Brothers both tried to keep themselves as far back as they could until they found themselves bumping into the front of both Itachi and Anko.

They now understood what Naruto meant when he told them that his Mother was not like the other Daimyos or anyone else they had ever met before today. The room they stood in was dark, a few torches lit at various locations to keep it dim. The woman herself seemed to be part of the darkness emanating around the entire room with eyes filled with green blackish like fire.

She looked like the Devil's wife! Or possibly his full grown daughter!

And they just tried to kill her surrogate son! Oh shit!

'Damn she's scary. And I thought Yagura was someone to fear,' thought Zabuza while he saw this woman made Yagura look like a school boy throwing a fit.

"My Kaa-san, I present to you the assassins hired by Gato to kill the two of us. Momochi Zabuza, his masked assistant Haku, and the Demon Brothers. We encountered them at the Uzumaki Clan ruins where I was training to harness my chakra chains I inherited from my clan. Per your orders in anticipating they would attack me first, we captured all four of them successfully, and brought them here to face your judgment," said Naruto before he bowed his head slightly toward his Mother while Itachi and Anko did the same out of respect.

"Well done my son. Well done. Bring them a little bit closer. I want to get a better look at them," said Maleficent while her gentle voice filled the room and the tone clearly showed she was happy with this news and beckoned them all forward.

"Kneel bakas!" commanded Anko before she grabbed the Demon Brothers and forced them to their knees once they were close enough.

Zabuza reluctantly kneeled while Haku followed with her concern for him showed when she glanced at him occasionally at various moments.

"Easy Anko. There is no need to be so forceful. Not yet anyway. Why not give them all a chance to explain themselves to me? That is...if they can?" asked Maleficent while eyeing the group of Missing Nin with calculating eyes while seeing Anko nod slightly.

"It wasn't personal. Just business. Gato promised us a lot of money to kill you or your son after you scorned him over the business deal he proposed. He basically hinted we should go for your son first to send a clear message that turning him down was unwise," said Zabuza since he had no loyalty to Gato and felt if he was going down...he might as well take the fat pig down with him.

"I see. And naturally, you listened to his suggestion in the hopes it would make things easier when it was time to be paid for your deed," remarked Maleficent in tone that told the group she not only knew about Gato hiring them, but the terms in which were set, and how Zabuza was all too willing to carry out the hit.

"It was a lot of money," commented Zabuza before he winced when the darkness around Maleficent grew around her.

"No doubt it was quite the sum offered in exchange for my son's head. Tell me Zabuza, if I were to let you go free from your current bindings, and I let you get within arms reach your sword...what would you do?" asked Maleficent curiously while gauging the Demon of the Mist with sharp and dangerous eyes.

"I'd take your head off before you could blink," answered Zabuza angrily, as he took her question to be one of mockery, and his pride screaming at him to fight back in some way.

"Zabuza-sama!" whispered Haku in warning since she didn't want him to get hurt.

So it came to a complete shock to not only Haku, but Zabuza and the Demon Brothers too when they heard Maleficent let out a chuckle of amusement at his response.

"Such _spirit_. Such _perseverance_. Such _courage_. Even in the face of your possible death you would threaten to kill me if given the chance to have the power to do it. My son was right to admire you to some extent when Itachi told us the story about how you became a ninja Momochi Zabuza. About the failed coup. against the foolish Mizukage for his abuse of power and desire to wipe out those with bloodlines. Yes, you are indeed quite worthy of your title as the Demon of the Mist. I can see it in your eyes. In your very _soul_. You are a ruthless man Momochi Zabuza," said Maleficent with her eyes dancing with power and amusement.

"Something tell me that while I should be flattered by the compliment, I'm not about to be freed so easily either," remarked Zabuza with Maleficent chuckling and the laughter now became far more sinister if not downright cruel sounding.

Before her face went from happy to down right cold and angry. Like the joke was over and fun they were having was now over. Maleficent's eyes were alight with greenish fire and the energy she was unleashing around them swirled like a vortex, howling in fury, and rage at the now terrified hired assassins of Gato.

"Of course not! You were hired to kill _ME_! And if not me, then my _SON_! I take such an attack against us very _seriously_ and very _personal_. My son here is my greatest treasure. Worth more to me then all the gold in the land and the world over! To try and take what I value most will _NOT_ be tolerated in the _slightest_! I do not care who or what you are in this world. I do not care if you are a Missing Nin, I do not care if you are a Hunter Nin, a Sannin, a Kage, or even a demon from the darkest pits of Hell itself! I am Maleficent! I am the Mother to Uzumaki Naruto! _**AND ALL WHO THREATEN US WILL BURN!"**_ exclaimed Maleficent with her power shooting upwards smashing through the roof of all the castle walls into the sky itself.

'Holy shit!' thought Zabuza with wide and terrified eyes while he stared at the shadowy silhouette of Maleficent covered in the greenish fire while his three subordinates looked up at the spiraling tower of energy she unleashed.

All Naruto could do was smile and feel a sense of pride knowing his Mother would feel such rage at the idea of him being killed. It was further proof she loved and he would do everything in his power to ensure he was forever worthy of it.

_**"For your actions against my son and myself, I will see to it you suffer painfully by my wrathful hands!"**_ declared Maleficent while slowly walking toward Zabuza with the intent of crushing this man for attempt on Naruto's life.

"NO! Please Maleficent-sama, show mercy!" begged Haku, as she struggled against the chakra chains that still held her along with the bindings, and moved in front of Zabuza's form.

"Haku! What are you doing?! Get out of the way!" ordered Zabuza, but Haku shook her head, and just stared at the approaching form of Maleficent.

"I owe you my life. I won't allow her to destroy you. Even if I have to be destroyed in the process," replied Haku while she held her ground against the approaching form of death that was the dark witch.

_**"Such courage. Such devotion. You must really care about this man behind you. Far more then one should in this case. What is he to you child?"**_ questioned Maleficent while staring at the girl trying to hold her own despite the body's instinctive reaction of quivering in front of the former Fairy Queen.

"He is my precious person. I owe him my life. Without Zabuza-sama, I would be nothing in this world," answered Haku while Maleficent tilted her head slightly and moved a free hand to touch the girl's cheek.

To Haku's credit she only slightly flinched, but still held her ground.

"She sees him as a surrogate Father. Her chakra tells me as such when I asked about it during our fight," added Naruto with Haku stiffening further since she feared this piece of information could be used against Zabuza or herself.

_**"Really? That is interesting. You must be one devoted and loving daughter to give your life for the surrogate Father responsible for raising you at such a young age. And to be by his side in battle means you are quite strong, aren't you?"**_ surmised Maleficent with Haku nodding while the dark witch's iron grip on the underside of her face near the point between where the bottom of the jaw and neck were connected never left.

"I would rather die then let anyone kill him," stated Haku with Maleficent nodding while leaning toward the frightened girl.

_**"The same could be said for me and my son standing not that far from us Haku. All the same, it would be a waste to have you die. All that effort Zabuza put into training you to be a ninja in order to help him when in an unfavorable position should not be wasted. But what to do with you or Zabuza exactly? You must be punished and harshly I might add for the attempt on my son's life, but I want you both alive, or as alive as one can possibly be with some of the ideas I have in mind for the two of you,"**_ remarked Maleficent before she glanced over past Haku and Zabuza to the Demon Brothers, who now realized that they may not be living past today.

Which was only enforced when Itachi and Anko took several steps away from the two.

"W-Wait! We can be useful!" exclaimed Gozu fearfully.

"Don't kill us!" added Meizu while Maleficent smiled a cruel smile.

Rather then responding with words, the dark witch shot a blast of energy from her staff that engulfed the Demon Brothers, and turned them into ash seconds later. Haku for her part was terrified that this monster of a woman would do something even worse to her or to Zabuza.

_**"I see that terrifies you. Good. It was meant to terrify you child. For you see, despite your actions against my son, I find your existence being alive outweighs the desire to bring about your death. That's right my dear, I am going to make use of you, and your precious Zabuza,"**_ remarked Maleficent since she saw a great deal of potential with the two of them under her command.

"Screw you witch! I still have my pride! I'd rather die then be your servant!" exclaimed Zabuza angrily at the notion of serving this woman and having his dreams taken away.

He would rather die a free man then be this witch's slave.

_**"If that is what you wish,"**_ replied Maleficent coldly before moving over to him like a shadowy wraith and grabbed his bandaged face roughly with her clawed hand.

"No! Please don't kill Zabuza-sama. Without him I am nothing! A tool without a Master! Do not deny me my precious person! The one who gave me purpose!" pleaded Haku with the former Queen of the Fairies glancing at her with a semi-cruel smile.

_**"That is where you are wrong dear girl. You **__**WILL**__** have a Master. You **__**WILL**__** have a purpose. Just **__**NOT**__** with Zabuza. I gave him a chance to live and he threw it in my face because of his pride. Now I will remove his presence from this world, but first I need to ensure the knowledge of what he knows about being a ninja doesn't go to waste,"**_ said Maleficent before beckoning her son to come closer.

"W-What are you doing?" asked Zabuza while feeling a great deal of burning pain from this woman's clawed hand now on his face.

_**"Saving the part of you that holds any value to me and giving it to my son to use in your place,"**_ replied Maleficent before she ripped out all things ninja related that Zabuza learned in Kiri about being a ninja and as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist to form a single orb looking like ball of water that instantly formed into a demon's head.

And then placed it into Naruto's mind with the blonde collapsing to his knees, screaming in pain at the sudden rush of information. Different chakra control exercises, different Water Jutsus, how to wield that Kubikiribocho, and even his contacts used to reach the Rebels in Water Country currently fighting the Mizukage. All this and more were now flooding the poor boy's mind, overwhelming him to the point of collapsing into a state of total unconsciousness.

As for Zabuza, he felt like his mind had lost a major piece of himself. He couldn't even think about anything ninja related. His mind was drawing a blank. It was as if someone had stripped him of everything that made him a ninja! That made him the Demon of the Mist!

'I feel empty Is this...Is this what it feels like to be completely...soulless?' thought Zabuza while the dark witch turned her attention back to him.

_**"My son will take over your title as a demon from now on Zabuza. Don't worry. I will make sure he embraces it fully when facing his enemies on the battlefield,"**_ remarked Maleficent before she obliterated Zabuza right there on the spot right in front of Haku.

"Zabuza-sama," whispered Haku with tears running down her face while the darkness around Maleficent noticeably died down where she looked more like her dark yet regal self over the dark demonic one.

"Hush now my child. I will not have the newest servant of this group wallow is pity and sadness," commanded Maleficent with a finger on the girl's cheek while Haku tried to fight back against the woman's touch.

"I will not serve you. I refuse!" exclaimed Haku defiantly with Maleficent letting out a dark chuckle of amusement.

"Oh that is where you are wrong and mistaken my dear. You _will_ serve and you _cannot_ refuse. That is the part you are wrong about. As to being mistaken, you will not serve me like I had first thought. Oh no my dear Haku, I believe it would be best if _you_ were put to better use in serving my son," replied Maleficent before removing her finger from Haku and barely walked two small steps over to Naruto who was still trying to focus on staying conscious despite the amount of information his Mother forced into his head.

"What?!" asked Haku while she saw Maleficent kneel in front of her son, extending her hand to the boy, and held him close while he struggled with the influx of knowledge.

"That's right. I have Itachi and Anko to aid me. I have no need for a third servant under my direct command. But my son? That is a different matter. Itachi and Anko will not be around all the time as I will have need of their services as time goes by and Naruto grows stronger. Yet I am not ignorant or arrogant in the belief my son is invincible and will be in need of assistance from time to time. As such, I have decided to give Naruto his own servant in the form of..._you_!" said Maleficent with Haku looking shocked that she would become the servant of a boy a few years younger then herself.

Haku also failed to notice said boy's chakra chains that were wrapped around her when escorting the group to Maleficent were no longer binding her at this point.

"Why are you placing me in such a position with your son? I could betray him! Hurt him! _Kill_ him!" questioned Haku in the hopes it would provoke the woman to strike her down for such a threat.

Instead, Maleficent laughed with amusement.

"Do you really think I would do that without safety measures being put in place? That I would recklessly place you near him without ensuring you would never lay a lethal hand on him? That would never betray him? You will be bound to him the same way Itachi and Anko are bound to me. Both were resistant at first, but over time they saw things _my way_, and in time...so will you!" replied Maleficent before she used her power and began to weave it around Haku and her son.

'No! I will not be an unwilling puppet to this woman or her son! I will not have my very purpose in life go from a willing tool to an unwilling one!' thought Haku before she felt an influx of energy course through her body.

She never felt anything like it during her still young life. It was terrifying yet amazing at the same time. All the while, Haku felt the faint shadowy presence of Maleficent within her mind. A minor representation of the dark witch put in place Haku knew was there to ensure the girl didn't try anything against Naruto. Speaking of the boy, Haku also felt his presence there now, but was much more significant, and with it was a bond that instantly took root within her mind.

"From this day forward, you will serve my son using all your strength, all of your power, and all your skills as a trained ninja! Whatever he asks of you will be obeyed! You will ensure he grows strong! You will ensure he is well protected! And you will ensure his enemies fall before him!" commanded Maleficent with the magic of her spell spiraling around the two before ending it and seeing the end result.

Naruto remained mostly unchained. His eyes were slightly sharper, more mature looking now, and was finally able to focus on what was going on in front of him. As for Haku, she was mostly the same with the exception of her hands looking like they had an icy blue shine to them. It washed over the skin of her arms at random moments and a little bit of the girl's own breath could be seen too.

"I understand Maleficent-sama. I am yours and Naruto-sama's to command," stated Haku, as she looked up at the woman before bowing her head, and accepting the new role being placed at her feet while Maleficent nodded in acceptance to this.

"And you my son? How do you feel?" asked Maleficent while looking at her son.

"I feel...good. Stronger. Wiser. Everything that made Zabuza a strong ninja is now in me and still being processed, but the pain is lessening as I speak. I will need time to train and practice what is in there. Both in terms of Jutsus and this deadly weapon right here," said Naruto in a serious voice, as he grabbed Kubikiribocho, and lifted it up with both hands while using chakra to support it on his body.

Damn this thing was heavy.

"Indeed. It will be quite some time before you can use this sword properly when in battle. But your mind will gradually adjust to what it has just been given so you can wield it and so will your body with the right training using those memories," answered Maleficent, as she saw Naruto nod in understanding.

"If it is all right with you Kaa-san, I wish go to bed and rest to handle the information in my mind," replied Naruto with his Mother nodding while smiling gently at him.

Such a good boy. Always polite to his loving Mother no matter what.

"Of course dear. You have a lot of information to process. Go to bed. Sleep and rest your mind. I have some minor details to discus with our newest addition," replied Maleficent while Naruto nodded and walked away after giving his Mother a loving hug.

"Do you wish us to leave Mistress?" asked Anko with Maleficent shaking her head no.

"No my dear. You can stay," replied Maleficent with Anko nodding before she became a snake and Itachi turning into a crow with both taking up a position on her body.

'They can turn into animals. Did she do something like that to me?' thought Haku while seeing Maleficent was her finger around while looking at the ceiling of the castle and witnessing the holes she made repair itself.

"Now, as you well know with these two here, my powers tend to..._enhance_ the qualities of those I have gained under my service. For Anko, it is her personal connection to the snakes. With Itachi, it is his connection to the crows. You have a strong connection to ice itself. I have heard the stories of your land being one where bloodlines are persecuted for their abilities being called unnatural. Judging from your sudden ridged posture...you are one of those people persecuted for your unique talents," concluded Maleficent with Haku nodding.

"Yes Maleficent-sama. From my Mother's side of the family. My Father saw it one day and knew exactly where it came from. He killed her and was going to kill me, but in my panic I used my powers to kill him...and the mob there to help in my death," answered Haku obediently with Maleficent's magic taken root deep within the girl's mind to ensure she compliant with all commands.

"And after awhile of growing up on the streets, Zabuza found you, trained you, and made you into the young girl on her knees before me," added Maleficent while walking around the girl now.

"Yes Maleficent-sama," answered Haku while tears formed at the reminder of losing the precious person who brought her up from nothing.

"There now. No need for tears my dear. You have a new Master. A new purpose with us here in Wave Country. A place by my son's side just as you were by Zabuza's side," said Maleficent while seeing Haku's sadness lessen a little.

"I understand Maleficent-sama, but the loss of Zabuza-sama...," whispered Haku at the end while Maleficent kneeled down behind her and began to make shushing sounds in a soothing tone.

"It hurts. I know. I remember a time when I had found someone precious to me. It wasn't right away that she was precious. At one point, I wanted her dead, and placed a curse on the girl out of spite for her King of a Father. The curse wouldn't take affect for sixteen long years and in that time I watched her grow in secret to become someone wonderful. I was her unofficial Godmother at the time and as the years past I came to adore the girl. I even tried to remove the curse I placed on her...only to realize that my own spell used in making the curse prevented me from changing the dreaded outcome. When she was free from it, I was so happy knowing my Goddaughter had found love, and wished her all the happiness my heart desired. Sadly, I could not see it happen to due to the event that took place shortly after she was awakened. Three idiot fairies convinced the man she would one day marry to slay me with a magic sword he wielded at me during the fighting. My own precious person never saw me after that ever again. She no doubt assumed I died during all the fighting that occurred," explained Maleficent while feeling the girl relax under her hold with the words to her story settling into Haku's mind.

"I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be without a purpose or a place to call my own," said Haku while she was held tighter by Maleficent.

"Do not worry my dearest Haku. For I have granted you all these things and all I ask for in return is loyalty," replied Maleficent with the girl nodding while surrendering to the woman's presence in its entirety.

"What about Gato? He will want to find out if the assignment to kill Naruto-sama was a success," questioned Haku with Maleficent's smile becoming cruel again though the girl herself couldn't see it.

"Leave him to me my dear. If the man is true to form given what I know about him, he will come to me, and assure you his death will be most..._unpleasant_!" stated Maleficent, as her eyes danced greenish fire, and the promise of unleashing pain onto the stupid fat little man was there.

"I understand Maleficent-sama," replied Haku while her eyes began to get droopy before she fell asleep through a bit of effort on Maleficent's part.

"Itachi! Prepare a room for Haku. Anko take her there. Make sure it is in one closest to my son's room. I expect her to train with my son immediately. My magic has altered if not enhanced her bloodline when it comes to manipulating ice. We need to know just how far," commanded Maleficent in a firm voice with Itachi letting out a "caw!" before flying off to the intended room while Anko slithered over to Haku and dragged the girl to her intended destination.

Sure she could have become human again and take Haku to her room, but where would be the fun in that?

With the group now gone, Maleficent slowly walked back to her throne, and let out a sigh at feeling just a little tired from using so much power like that. Even after all this time, the former Fairy Queen was not use to using so much of her power, even after surpassing the original level it had been prior to her downfall, and the imprisonment soon following through the power of that damn magical sword. She fed off of Naruto and by extension the Kyuubi's charka for years to regain her former strength and eventual went beyond it within the first year with the boy.

Not that hard when the child spent every other night sleeping in her bed instead of his own, seeking comfort, and complete reassurance that what he had wasn't a cruel dream or nightmare. The treatment the poor boy went through had left deep scars not only on his body, but the mind as well, and it took a great of love on her part to heal most of them.

Unfortunately...there were some scars even Maleficent couldn't heal.

That refused to heal.

All Maleficent could do was prevent them from getting worse. From becoming infected and corrupt the boy's mind if not his soul.

As for Maleficent's strength, if she were to compare it to the other Kages, the dark witch imagined (as things were right now), her power could match against four of the five current Kages. Maybe all five if she kept taking the needed chakra from Naruto for the next year unchallenged by outside forces. It was almost hard to say with the current Tsuchikage being so old and the Hokage being in the same boat though it was clear neither had lost their fighting spirit in terms of being a ninja.

There was also the factor of the other eight Jinchuriki in each of the five major Shinobi villages and in one minor village of Taki. All of them were used as a deterrent for war, yet treated like a plague just like her son had been from the start. Sure Kumo treated their two with respect, but that wouldn't last forever, and the fact the Mizukage was one yet purging all bloodlines in his domain was disturbing too. It was hypocritical really. She would have to investigate this at a later time. Maybe even provide some assistance to the Rebels in secret to find out what was _really_ going on. The issue with the other Jinchuriki from Kiri going missing soon after the bloodline purges started meant the chosen vessel wanted no part of such a thing.

Maybe she could find him and offer him sanctuary here in Wave?

The two Jinchuriki in Iwa were not loved either. Used as watchdogs in a sense to guard a key region at random times per the Tsuchikage's orders. They only went into Iwa when it was to provide the old man an actual verbal report on something major before being sent out again.

The same was said for Taki's Jinchuriki. The village kept her around because they needed the girl, but made the poor Jinchuriki believe it was the other way around through their actions. That she needed _them_! That her forced service to Taki provided protection from the cruelty of the outside world and would be one day rewarded _provided_ the girl did not waver from her duty to Taki.

Suna's own Jinchuriki was the Kazekage's youngest son, yet treated the boy like he was an embarrassment to his bloodline, and should be killed. Of course, the fool wouldn't kill his own son personally, not with the boy holding the One-Tail, but that didn't mean he couldn't hire assassins to do it, and had done just that since the red haired boy turned six.

Hmmm...that actually gave the woman an idea.

Naruto had lived a solitary life thus far. Granted, he had her, Anko, Itachi, and now Haku to be around. _BUT_, her son never really had a true sibling to call his own. The Mizukage aside until she could find out what was wrong with him, as well as Kumo since Itachi had told her about their past kidnapping attempt on Naruto's biological Mother, the other five remaining Jinchuriki would make excellent family for her son to have in some capacity.

All she needed was a way to get them all here one by one and convince them to stay here in Wave Country to be Naruto's siblings and to some extension the protectors of this land too. It not like the people of this land would hate them, provided they don't go psychotic, and randomly kill everyone they see.

Maleficent made a small reminder to herself about seeing that the boy from Suna was straightened out mentally before letting him near anyone within Wave Country.

If she could recruit him to her side.

"Don't bother hiding. I sense you Kiri Hunter Shinobi. Come on out. Don't be shy. Step out into the light!" commanded Maleficent before slamming her staff down and covered the room in a greenish energy that covered the whole room.

And made the group of five Kiri Hunter Shinobi hiding within the shadows of the room to be forced to kneel at the front of her throne.

"What the Hell? How did you know we were there?" demanded the leader of the group while trying to stand, but found his body wouldn't obey.

"I am far from your normal Daimyo. I take it you are here for the bounty on Momochi Zabuza?" countered Maleficent with the leader of the Kiri Hunter Nins nodded for his group.

"Yes. We were informed by a reliable source that he was coming here to assassinate you and were sent to intercept him," replied the leader while leaving out the fact they were told to wait until _after _Zabuza either succeeded or failed in his own assignment.

"I see. Not that it matters. The man is dead. I killed him and his subordinates. You came all this way for nothing," remarked Maleficent with the Kiri Hunter Nins looking at her in shock since Daimyos were not known for flexing actual muscle against others.

"If that is true, we need to claim the sword as it belongs to Kiri," said the leader of the Hunter Nins.

"I'm afraid that is not possible. You see I promised my son he would wield that sword in the future and I simply do not have the heart to break such a promise to him," countered Maleficent with a small smile on her lips.

"You will have to make an exception this time. You have no choice, but to surrender it to us," said the leader of the group from Kiri before being blasted back roughly twenty feet and the others saw the woman was not pleased by the words spoken to her.

"I will make _NO_ exception! My son will wield this wonderful weapon and cut through all of his enemies that dare to stand in his way! You will return to your Mizukage and tell him that Zabuza is dead. Tell him if he has a problem with what has happened following the man's death, he can come here, and address me on the matter _personally_. Though do warn him I will not be so merciful as I was to you while here. I will be far _worse_!" stated Maleficent with her power once more washing off the woman in waves.

The group of Kiri Hunter Nin nodded, slowly backing away from the woman, and at least one seemed to be secretly eyeing the Kubikiribocho behind his Hunter Nin Mask. In fact, the Hunter Nin in question made a dash for the weapon itself, believing he could take the sword before fleeing the castle before Maleficent could do anything.

How wrong he was.

Anticipating the said action, Maleficent shot a blast of magical energy from her staff, and obliterated the Hunter Nin into ash. The end result made the remaining Hunter Nins from Kiri instantly flee from the castle in the belief that it was wiser to run away to inform the Mizukage what happened, and hope the man was feeling merciful when telling him the good news of Zabuza's demise that would be followed by recently discovered bad news of being unable to retrieve the sword along with the death of a Hunter Nin at the hands of a Daimyo no less.

A strange and powerful one too.

Not taking any chances of a repeat attempt to take what was now her son's future weapon of choice to wield, Maleficent placed a temporary spell over the sword so it couldn't be picked up by anyone else except Naruto. She would have to make a new spell for it later regarding who used the massive weapon so anyone who did use the Kubikiribocho could only do so if they the sword wasn't being wield against her or Naruto.

But that could wait for now. For now she wanted to rest a little and sooth the people of Wave Country, who no doubt were worried about their Daimyo, and the power she had unleashed.

(Konoha-Hokage Tower-Sometime Later)

"I have summoned you all here to discuss some important news regarding Wave Country and its female Daimyo. As you are well aware, this new Daimyo was once the Advisor to her predecessor only a few short years ago. While it is not completely uncommon for a woman to be a ruler of a nation, this particular woman in question is not what you would call..._normal_ by any means of the word," stated Hiruzen, as he felt his hand was forced now, and with recent events pertaining to the rumors of Zabuza dying at the hands of the Wave Daimyo of all people made a lot of eyes go wide with eyebrows rising in shock at the news.

"I hear she killed an A-ranked Missing Nin. That is quite impressive if I do say so myself. It shows she is a woman to be feared when crossed by others," remarked Aburame Shibi while Nara Shikaku near him shivered out of pure fear.

He was no doubt picturing his wife with that kind of power and aiming it at him.

"All the more reason to open trade with her. Maybe even an alliance of sorts. It would make our enemies think twice upon attacking us if we had such a powerful Daimyo on our side," said Souske Toji of the Civilian Council and representing the Merchant Guild at this meeting.

"Trust me, this Daimyo is not interested in trading with us. Or having an alliance with us. In fact, this woman _hates_ Konoha, and only let my team go because she let us go to send a message back here about her feelings regarding Konoha," remarked Jiraiya since it was no secret his team went to visit the woman to warn her about the possible assassination attempt on her life.

"Why? We warned her of the assassination attempt. It is an insult to us that she would be so spiteful just because we are from Konoha! The nerve of this so called _woman_! She probably slept with her predecessor to get where she is now!" exclaimed Haruno Sakiri angrily with many agreeing with her.

"This woman already knew about the assassination attempt. In fact, I get the feeling she already had a plan set in motion to stop the attempt, and seeing how the Wave Daimyo is still alive...it worked!" stated Jiraiya while many grumbled over how they had been too late to know about the attempt to use toward their advantage.

"That doesn't explain why we are here? What is it about this woman that you felt the need to have this meeting Hokage-sama?" asked Homura while Hiruzen sighed knowing what he was about to say would open up a big can of worms.

"There is evidence suggesting that this Wave Daimyo, using powers unknown to us, was the one responsible for the kidnapping of Uzumaki Naruto, Mitarashi Anko, and Uchiha Itachi roughly five years ago," replied the Sandaime Hokage with Uchiha Fugaku looking at him in shock while Danzo's eyes narrowed at this and many others were dumbfounded by these words for a moment.

Then everything went to shit with a lot of yelling and arguing.

"HOW DARE THIS WITCH TAKE FROM US!" yelled one Council member.

"SEND THREE ANBU PLATOONS TO WAVE COUNTRY AND BURN IT TO THE GROUND!" yelled another Council member sitting next to the other one who yelled.

"NO! SEND THEM TO CRUSH THE PEOPLE OF WAVE! MAKE THEM APART OF FIRE COUNTRY! MAKE THEM INTO A SLAVE STATE!" exclaimed Haruno Sakiri with the windows of the room nearly shattering from her shrieking voice.

'Actually, the last idea isn't half bad. Plus the land's natural resources there could be used to further fund Root without taking too much from the treasury to avoid suspicion from Hiruzen.

"Enough! As it stands, our proof while there, is merely circumstantial. Any show of force on our part right now will make us appear to be the aggressors. Even if we explain why, it would still make other countries, and the other Shinobi villages go on edge by invading Wave Country. We could very well end up starting a war, which we could not win given our current forces, and be forced into submission if not total defeat," said Hiruzen with Fugaku looking angry at this, but knew it was the sad, and quite bitter truth.

"So we play politics, is that it Hiruzen? Use the Fire Daimyo to force her hand on this matter? Even if we make accusations, what proof do you have that Uchiha Itachi, and Mitarashi Anko are with this Daimyo?" asked Danzo while Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya, who shook his head, and it was clear that revealing what they knew was just not possible.

"As I said before, the evidence while there from what Jiraiya observed on his mission to Wave Country is very circumstantial. Without solid undisputed proof Itachi or Anko are in Wave Country while in the service of this woman, our demand for their return would make us look silly," said Hiruzen knowing mere observations and deduction were not solid pieces of evidence.

He couldn't even tell them about Naruto being there because of the lie created to fool the powers that be in this room so they wouldn't call for the boy's death or capture for the few who wanted him conditioned to be a weapon of war for the village!

"Then we must get this proof. We need to send in an infiltration team. One that can do what is needed to be done in order to secure the proof for us when we go before the Fire Daimyo to inform him of this injustice done to Konoha," stated Danzo while planning to find out how this woman enslaved those two so he could do it himself to others to further swell the ranks of Root with more loyal followers.

Even if the loyalty was forced. But what did Danzo care? Followers were followers and if they were slaves first? Then who was he to complain about the result? He benefited from them anyway so all the more reason to do it.

"That's not possible. Not right now anyway. With the failed assassination attempt on this Wave Daimyo, she will be on guard for quite awhile. I saw a sample of her power first hand and sensed what was inside of this Wave Daimyo was vast. Like _Biju level_ vast. It would be unwise to challenge her at this stage of things," countered Jiraiya while Danzo frowned at this since he didn't expect a Daimyo of any kind to have that amount of power inside of them.

Then again...his Sensor Nin in Root had detected and reported a massive spike not that long ago coming from Wave Country. Was that the Wave Daimyo? No. Impossible! Only a Jinchuriki could unleash something remotely close to what they sensed. But there was also no Jinchuriki remotely near Wave Country, as they were all in their various countries from what his spies had told him, and never really left them or the general area unless to flex the muscle of said Shinobi village.

Did that woman truly have Biju level chakra? If so, he would need to ensure she _never_ used it on Konoha. He would need to find a way to remove this woman and appoint a suitable pawn to take her place that would more or less pro Konoha.

But like Jiraiya had stated, the woman would be on guard now, more alert for any future attacks, and any attack now would be stopped before any assassination team could set foot in her castle.

So they would need to wait. _HE_ would need to wait.

"As it stands, we will have to wait until the bridge is completed before we can have the Fire Daimyo use the right to trade through his lands as leverage against her. In that time, we can gather the necessary proof we need about Itachi, and Anko being her enslaved servants. With the evidence gathered, we can present it to the Fire Daimyo, and force her to relinquish control over them while ordering some measure of financial compensation in the process," added Hiruzen knowing it was the best plan for them at the moment.

"With a good portion of that said financial sum going to the Uchiha Clan for what this _woman_ has stolen," remarked Fugaku knowing he was well within his right to ask if not demand it.

"There is still the issue of Mitarashi Anko. While I have no doubt Itachi is still loyal to Konoha after all this time, I question _her _loyalty due to the past connection she has to Orochimaru. If she is brought back, I suggest a proper examination be done, and have her mind erased for good measure. Rebuild from the ground up," remarked Danzo since the woman could be a valuable tool to draw out Orochimaru in the long run to exploit since the Sannin tended to play with his food and the old war hawk considered such a thing a weakness.

A weakness he would exploit should the time come to remove the stain from Konoha's memory.

"I agree. The woman was always a liability. For all we know, she helped kidnap Itachi from the start, and is more loyal to this Wave Daimyo then she should be to Konoha," added Koharu while Hiruzen scowled at her since he knew from Inoichi's examination of Anko when first found after Orochimaru's defection showed she had more love for the Sannin then anyone else in this room.

"We will not punish Anko unless we know without question she had something to do with the kidnappings. If she did have any involvement, Anko will be punished. However, if there is nothing to this accusation, I expect the matter to be completely dropped in order to prevent malicious rumors from being spread. After all, none of us here would want rumors based on a lie to spread about yourselves, correct?" stated Hiruzen while seeing many in the room nodding and looking away since they disliked the notion of the village spreading rumors about them.

Even if they didn't mind it the other way around.

"When can we expect the bridge to be completed?" asked Homura since they would need to work on a short timetable.

"If they do not run into too many problems, I estimate the completion of the bridge will be a little over a year. Maybe a year and a half," replied Hiruzen knowing it might be the latter if Gato sent agents to Wave to make things problematic in the construction of the bridge.

Then again, there was a good chance Maleficent found out who hired Zabuza, and was going to handle Gato real soon. Whether she sent Itachi, Anko, or went herself was at the moment unknown. Though if this woman took this assassination personally, chances are that this Wave Daimyo would use her power to make it known just how she felt about the attempt.

"Then we have that long if not a little bit longer to do what needs to be done," remarked Danzo while Hiruzen glanced at him while Jiraiya scowled since they both knew what the war hawk meant by that.

What needs to be done = killing everyone and everything in their path without any show of remorse whatsoever.

"And if my some chance we are somehow unable to get this evidence of my son and the woman being in this Wave Daimyo's custody?" asked Fugaku curiously to see what Konoha would in order to bring back his son.

"We send in a team to take them by force and if need be...we will _kill_ this Wave Daimyo. Such an offense to Konoha must not go unpunished," stated Danzo firmly while Hiruzen glared at his former rival.

"NO! We will take our two ninja back by force, but we will _NOT_ kill the Wave Daimyo. Or have you forgotten quite a few Daimyos, including our _own_ use us for missions. Any attempt to assassinate this woman might send a rippling effect throughout the world. It could make Daimyos in all nations become hesitant to employ ninja out of fear we will assassinate them for whatever reason we deem fit. Such a possible fear could bloom into something worse. As in the liquidation or weakening of the Shinobi villages on the orders of the Daimyos themselves to further ensure such an outcome doesn't have a chance of happening," countered Hiruzen while Danzo scowled, but ultimately relented since that was one possible outcome, and even the war hawk knew better then to argue over it.

"I agree. If the evidence that two of our own are in Wave is unattainable, we must send a team to retrieve them after fully confirming their whereabouts. Killing the Wave Daimyo would only make us look bitter and make others fear the idea of employing us. Even our own Fire Daimyo would be hesitant to be around us or employ missions to ninja overall," said Shibi since he saw what Hiruzen was talking about.

"Agreed. It is also one of the reasons ninja are not hired to assassinate Daimyos. It is not uncommon for clients to try doing such an act whether out of spite or gaining something in the end. But we all know for a fact ninjas in all the Shinobi villages past and present have never taken such an assignment. Something that has kept the Daimyos in our good graces and any doubts of our loyalty to them in terms of hired protection. Even Missing Nin of all ranks have stayed away from such clients who want Feudal Lords dead," added Hiashi since he knew Daimyos had samurai to protect them in and out of the village, but ninja could do, and see things samurai could not.

Hence why ninja like the Guardian Twelve were formed by the Fire Daimyo.

"We have roughly a year to get what we need. If worse comes to worse, we can have the Fire Daimyo press the Wave Daimyo about our suspicions with what evidence we have at the time. She has to see him for approval of getting trading lane rights once the bridge is complete since the lane goes right through Fire Country. With any luck, we can force her hand somehow during the negotiations," stated Hiruzen with many nodding before he ordered the meeting over.

And leaving him with just Jiraiya there to talk to him about things.

"You didn't tell them Gato is dead. Why?" asked Jiraiya with Hiruzen sighing.

"And put more fear into their hearts? They would call for the Wave Daimyo's blood even sooner. They would want some kind of invasion force or a small army of our best capture and retrieval teams ready for full deployment. I won't send so many to their deaths," said Hiruzen while still not believing half the report Jiraiya's spy sent him.

Dark clouds amassing suddenly over the waters of Wave.

Lightning striking at different times.

And the seas lashing out throughout the violence of the storm.

With the end result sinking every ship and killing every single person out at sea.

Interestingly enough, the only ship actually out at sea in that remote section of the world was Gato's yacht, and Hiruzen doubted the small man survived a 150 feet in length tidal wave. Not when it apparently descended directly down upon his boat within a matter of moments in the dead of night.

"We don't even know if the storm was caused by her. Granted, it was reported as being unnatural by some of my coastal, and sea experienced people. But I don't think it was caused by this strange woman. This...Maleficent person," remarked Jiraiya offhandedly to his sensei.

"Perhaps, but only Gato paid the price of being in that storm. A storm that had manifested over his yacht and consumed it like a hungry beast. After it was over, the storm abruptly ended, and the seas were quiet once more. Only one person benefited from Gato's death," said Hiruzen while Jiraiya nodded since that much was true.

"Okay. I'll give you that much, but if this Maleficent woman did make the storm happen, the next question that comes next is...how did she make it happen?" asked Jiraiya with Hiruzen narrowing his eyes in thought.

"That part still puzzles me. It must be a power we have never seen before. Something we have yet to fully experience or understand," answered Hiruzen at last.

"Maybe the Toads can help me learn more about it. We have a name to work with so it shouldn't be too hard to discover something about that power. Given how old the Elder is, maybe they will know something about her power. When she first hit me with that power, it was almost felt like Nature Chakra, but different. Almost..._primal_," stated Jiraiya while his sensei looked concerned since having the power of Nature Chakra was a feet unto itself, but someone wielding it in an even more ancient fashion was...worrisome.

"Look into it Jiraiya. The more we understand this woman's power the better our chances of rescuing _all _of her captives," commanded Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"Right," said Jiraiya before he left via the window.

'Naruto, if this woman has done something to you in all the years since being with her, I fear I may have to do something drastic to ensure the safety of Konoha. A safety you will have to pay for the good of us all,' thought Hiruzen before suddenly sensing the picture of the Yondaime Hokage scowling at him.

For the good of Konoha, Hiruzen chose to ignore its ever angry staring presence, and the two previous Hokages who preceded the Sandaime himself.

(A/N: YAY! I present to you a super long chapter. I hope it meets your expectations in being awesome! I felt taking Gato out was crucial since I didn't want him around to make problems for the bridges construction. As for Zabuza's death, I know you most likely hate my guts at this point, believe me when I say I like Zabuza so killing him off was not easy. He was badass so I dislike what I had to do, but it was necessary, and on the plus side I did give his skills to Naruto. Now before some of you get all pissed off, Naruto will be spending his time training his body to handle what was sent to his head, and yes Haku will help him. As for Konoha, they will keep doing their own thing, and pissing off all the wrong people while making more mistakes then they can handle or put down. Until next time...PEACE!)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Sparks of Conflict

Naruto panted heavily within the training within the castle grounds. He was currently wearing ninja sandals, black pants, white t-shirt, had ninja wrappings around his wrists, and ankles. On his face, he was wearing more bandages to hide his whisker marks, and standard ninja helmet to keep the blonde hair from being seen by prying eyes should anyone dare try to spy on the boy. The only thing exposed to the world that would make someone from Konoha know he was Uzumaki Naruto was the intense blue eyes that were burning with fire.

On the sidelines, Haku was watching his form, his stances, and movements while trying to wield the Kubikiribocho. It wasn't easy given how heavy the sword actually was since the blade was made up mostly of iron from the blood of slain victims. This ability was created for this weapon in order to repair any damaged done and needed to be fixed on the fly rather then going to the nearest sword smith. Still, it didn't matter to Naruto, as he kept trying to build up his muscle mass using the sword itself as a weight, and lifting the heavy object with what muscles his arms possessed. Sure he used chakra, but Naruto knew there was always a chance, no matter how slim, that his chakra would run low, and would have to rely on physical strength alone.

Hence why he was training heavily on mastering this sword physically after his mind had handled all the information his Mother transferred from Momochi Zabuza into himself.

Above on a balcony, Maleficent watched with pride at seeing her son training hard under so many watchful, and well trained eyes that were investing on Naruto's potential. Unlike the others however, the dark witch looked down, and eyed her son with pride. When he rested to regain his strength, Naruto would always look up, and smile at her with joy in his eyes. All that love, devotion, determination, and loyalty wrapped up in a single blonde child that was Uzumaki Naruto.

And he was her son. Her pride and joy. Not King Stephan's child. Not the child of those three idiot fairies. This was the child of the former Fairy Queen Maleficent. It did not matter if he was a surrogate. What did matter was this boy was her son and she would not trade him for anything.

Any and all who challenged Maleficent for him would die. Whether by her own hands or that of her subordinates or by Naruto's hands if required.

"My son. You will do great things. Some will love you. Others will hate you. Fear you. Respect you. A combination of some if not all those things. But know this, I will never betray you, and will always support you not matter what," remarked Maleficent to herself while she saw him training hard and smiled a loving smile down at him when he looked up at her direction.

Such a special boy. His former village was filled with fools to hurt him like they did.

That last thought made Maleficent frown for a second. Her conversation with the Sannin had been more trouble then she thought possible. Maleficent suspected the spiky white haired man was much smarter then he looked and was more then the rumored Super Pervert many women always said he was.

That he even proclaimed to be in front of others without shame.

Even still, the man was Sannin for a reason. Said to be the strongest of three when at one point he was the weakest. It was only now that Maleficent realized she would have to be cautious of him the next time around. Decisive in making quick key actions that may or may not be reversible even by her own powers.

"Mistress," whispered Itachi while behind the woman and kneeling in her presence.

"Report," commanded Maleficent to her spy in a firm tone.

"The Kazekage is here. He is awaiting to see you with his children," replied Itachi with Maleficent nodding and turning to face the Uchiha.

"Did he bring his youngest?" asked Maleficent with Itachi surprisingly shake his head no.

"No Maleficent-sama. Despite your request to have his youngest join him, he has done not that," replied Itachi with Maleficent scowling now.

"Did the Kazekage state why Gaara wasn't with him?" asked Maleficent while knowing Itachi hid his true appearance under a simple Genjutsu that made him seem like a simple servant to the Kazekage.

"The Kazekage remarked that his weapon was needed elsewhere and could not come here with him despite the specific request you made being quite clear to him," answered Itachi with Maleficent clearly looking angry when hearing this.

"I see. Send him away then. I have no business with the man if he refuses to comply with the simple request I made when I sent him that message about meeting his entire family," remarked Maleficent coldly.

"Yes Mistress," replied Itachi before bowing and leaving the woman to her thoughts.

'That fool will learn soon enough that ignoring my request is unwise,' thought Maleficent while she returned to watching her son train hard.

(With the Kazekage)

"The décor is nice," remarked Temari, as she saw the room they were in wasn't too fancy, but not cheap in the slightest.

It was saying I'm a Daimyo, but I'm not some snooty stuck up richer then you kind of Daimyo.

"I have seen better back at the Wind Daimyo's home," remarked Kankuro since they had seen the Wind Daimyo's home and knew that guy liked to _seriously_ burn through all his money for the good stuff few could buy much less afford.

"Just goes to show you that this Daimyo is not like ours in terms of having money to buy nice things, but in a way good," remarked Temari while their Father scowled where he was sitting.

In his mind, he shouldn't be waiting this long to meet with a Daimyo.

"Kazekage-sama," said Itachi in his Genjutsu based disguise that was so subtle that it would fool the man in front of him.

"Yes. Where is the Wave Daimyo?" questioned/demanded the Kazekage while standing up to address him.

"My Mistress has instructed me to tell you to leave immediately," replied Itachi firmly to the Kage in front of him.

"What? Why?" demanded the Kazekage with Itachi glancing at the man's children, who were now looking over at them due to their Father's raised voice.

"You didn't bring your youngest son per her request," replied Itachi with the Kazekage looking like someone had spit in his sake, right in front of him, and in front of guests!

"My..._son_ could not make it. I explained that to you and I had hoped you would explain it to your Daimyo," countered the Kazekage with Itachi nodding.

"And I did. She was unhappy that you came with two of your children instead of all three of them. She made it very clear in her initial request that your youngest son Gaara was to come with you to Wave Country. The fact you ignored it and gave me a lame excuse to tell her was insulting in my Daimyo's eyes," replied Itachi while the Kazekage looked like he wanted to lash out at him.

"Do you know who I am? I am the Kazekage of Suna!" exclaimed the Kazekage angrily at Itachi.

"Perhaps, but you are not in Suna now. You are in Wave Country. You are in the home of a _Daimyo_. One who was considering the idea of hiring your ninja for long term, well paid missions, and all she asked in return was to see all three of your children to gauge Suna's potential through them. Instead, you bring two out of the three, and act like this is your home. So the question I am asking you Kazekage-sama on behalf of my Mistress is...who the Hell do you think you are for acting in this manner?" replied Itachi with the Kazekage like he was ready to explode with rage.

"I will not be talked to like this by a mere _peon_! You may serve a Daimyo, but as far as I am concerned, she is _nothing_ compared to me. She has no Shinobi under her command. This _woman_ has hired a bunch of _samurai _to protect her lands, who can all be bought by someone with enough money in their pockets, and the people themselves will turn the moment they dislike a decision she makes!" exclaimed the Kazekage angrily while Itachi remained calm the entire time.

"Perhaps I am a peon in a sense, but I assure you Kazekage-sama, you are the one who is _nothing_ when compared to her. Now please leave...or _else_," countered Itachi while the Kazekage drew a kunai from his holster at the hip.

"I choose or else," whispered the Kazekage while his children looked a bit nervous since the samurai in the area were getting ready to draw their swords.

"Really? You would strike out against my servant? Just to spite me?" asked Maleficent, as she appeared in the doorway, in all her dark glory, and seeing the Kazekage looking at her now.

'Why is she wearing all black? The devil horns aside, she looks like a woman who is in mourning,' thought Temari while eyeing Maleficent's attire and wondered if this woman was as fearsome as the rumors claimed.

"If need be to make my point I will," replied the Kazekage while gauging the strength of this woman rumored to have killed an A-ranked Missing Nin from Kiri.

"I see. And what about my point in the letter I sent? I specifically requested you were to bring all _three_ of your children with you. And yet...I see only _two_!" remarked Maleficent with the Kazekage snarling at her.

"I don't have to answer to you. You maybe a Daimyo, but you have little in the way of strength capable of protecting it. Any country without a ninja village to show its strength is _weak_ in my eyes. I don't know how you defeated an A-ranked Missing Nin, but clearly Momochi Zabuza's reputation was exaggerated, and your victory over him was a fluke," remarked the Kazekage with Maleficent seemingly appearing unaffected by the taunting and insults thrown her way by him.

"Oh dear. How unfortunate you feel this way about me and my country. I had hoped you and I would have a long standing business arrangement that would secure you a strong form of financial security. Given how your Wind Daimyo has been cutting funding and hiring Konoha Shinobi for missions he would normally give to your village. Then again, maybe the man has the right idea to outsource jobs requiring skilled ninja. After all, who in their right mind would want to hire ninja from a Shinobi village like Suna with such an _incompetent_ Kazekage like yourself leading it?" countered Maleficent with an evil grin on her face while the Kazekage looked redder in the face then his own hair.

His two children looked too stunned to even consider the idea to defend their Father.

"Y-Y-You _dare_ insult me?!" accused the Kazekage while seeing Maleficent continuing to smirk at him.

"Yes I do dare to insult you. I dare to insult a man, who cannot run his own ninja village properly," taunted Maleficent with the Kazekage moving to kill, if not injure the woman for her insult.

"Know your place in this world!" exclaimed the Kazekage before he got within striking distance of the woman.

Only to be stopped while in-flight by Maleficent with a simple wave of her finger.

"Interesting. You took the words right out of my mouth," remarked Maleficent before she sent the man flying into a wall, then another wall, a third wall, the floor, the ceiling, and finally the ground again..._hard_!

'What is she? What Jutsu was that? Was that even a Jutsu? I couldn't stop her from using whatever it is she just did,' thought the Kazekage while struggling to stand before looking up at the clearly superior entity standing in front of him.

"I have weighed your potential Kazekage. I have used you as a measuring stick for the rest of your ninja in Suna and now see that hiring any of them would be a waste of time and resources on _my _end. Do not come back here again unless _I_ wish it. Do not send your ninja here unless _I_ wish it. If you or your ninja enter my domain without my permission or for a good reason that was essentially them having no other choice, but to come here. Any other reason will be regarded as hostile and I will see to it your village if not your entire country is wiped out in the process," stated Maleficent before using a sliver of her power and shoved the man toward his children.

"You dare do this to me? In front of my children. I will send my youngest after you. He will rip your country to pieces. Kill every citizen. Bury every building in sand. He will _destroy_ everything you love and hold dear in this country until there IS NOTHING LEFT!" exclaimed the Kazekage with the woman not even looking remotely worried.

"Your youngest son's power does not frighten me Kazekage. Send him to me. I'm sure he will be able to entertain me longer then you did just now," replied Maleficent calmly to the Kazekage narrowed his eyes before he slowly left the castle with his children.

"Shall I follow them?" asked Itachi before removing the Genjutsu on his body once the samurai guards in the room left the area.

"Yes, but in your crow form only. As far as the Kazekage knows, Wave Country does not have ninja. Why let him think otherwise?" replied Maleficent with Itachi nodding before he went into his crow form and took flight out a nearby window.

Seconds later after he left, a snake slithered into the room through a hole in the wall, and turned into one Mitarashi Anko. She had been sent on a mission to infiltrate Konoha and learn what the Hokage was up to since Jiraiya reported to him what happened when he first spoke to her about the assassination attempt Zabuza was suppose to make on her and Naruto.

"Report," commanded Maleficent in a serious tone while Anko stayed kneeling in her presence.

"As you suspected, the Sandaime Hokage has informed the Councils and Clan Heads about you kidnapping myself, and Itachi five years ago Maleficent-sama. Naturally, the powers that be wish for action in taking us back by force, and possibly invading Wave Country to make it apart of Fire Country," replied Anko while Maleficent scoffing at this information.

"Of course they do. Their greed and arrogance bleeds off of them like an infected wound seeping puss. Did they mention Naruto at all?" questioned Maleficent with Anko shaking her head no.

"No Mistress. The Hokage officially has Naruto-sama as being successfully retrieved by Jiraiya years ago at some random point, but is still in a coma, and residing in the Senju Clan home under Senju Tsunade's care for treatment. The Konoha populace have bought it and most are glad in hearing about Naruto-sama's supposed coma within their walls. The only people who it is a lie are the Sandaime Hokage, Jiraiya, Senju Tsunade, and Shizune who is Tsunade's apprentice. Shimura Danzo I imagine is getting suspicious since he has tried to get see the child recently with his Root ninja, but was denied access to the clan home, and those agents he sent to snoop around were unable to report seeing him. It will only be a matter of time before the truth comes out and the Hokage reveals what he told Konoha was a lie," said Anko with Maleficent nodding in agreement.

One could only keep secrets for so long. She knew this to be true given what happened had with Aurora finding out Maleficent had put a curse on her, even though the former Fairy Queen had grown fond of the child when she was growing up, and said child called her Godmother. The bond the two of them held had been strained to the point of being broken when the girl learned the truth. Those blasted three good fairies had revealed it the moment they learned of the girl spending time with Maleficent in secret in the belief the dark witch intended to corrupt the soul of the Princess. The look on Aurora's face had hurt Maleficent and tried to stop the girl from running away with that hurt look when she did. It made the young Princess believe every moment shared with Maleficent had been a lie, a cruel illusion meant to bring her plenty of joy, only to be ripped it out when least expecting, and Maleficent laughing at the girl's expense when the curse hit.

The poor girl had been mistaken on so many levels when that happened and fled before the former Fairy Queen could fix things.

Funny how so much damage can be done through telling lies and truths with them getting occasionally mixed and tangled together to the point where you can't tell truths from the lies.

The facts from the fiction.

Reality from fantasy.

"Yes. Which means it won't be long before Konoha learns Naruto has been here the entire time with you, Itachi, and myself," remarked Maleficent knowing it would cause the Leaf to deploy their ninja to retrieve their "weapon" that they had lost and no doubt find ways to suppress what her son had learned after all these years.

Itachi and Anko had told them more then enough about such things being possible with the Yamanaka Clan and the power of seals when used by a Master.

"Naruto is progressing well though. I saw what the current Academy curriculum has been since the Sandaime Hokage was reinstated following the Yondaime's death. At this rate, the only ninjas that come out of the Academy will be in three specific categories. The wet behind the ears Genin. The pissing in their pants at the first sign of danger or facing an enemy or group of ninja Genin. And finally, the crying out for their mommies I did not sign up for this Genin. With the way Naruto-sama trains practically everyday, he can mop the floor with whatever runts Konoha sends his way. He can probably go toe to toe with a few Chuunin at once if he had too and even Jounin if the Kyuubi's power was accessible," said Anko with Maleficent nodding since she had to agree with the woman about her son.

"Good. Leave Konoha alone for now. Itachi will handle spying on them for the moment since you in your snake form slithering around Konoha will make people suspicious. We can't give them a reason to monitor your presence should they suspect something or just decide to kill you in your snake form. I need you do something else. Something far more important," replied Maleficent with Anko nodding.

"What is it you wish of me Maleficent-sama?" asked Anko curiously.

"I am not naive as Konoha in believing Naruto was the only remaining Uzumaki in the known world. A clan like his does not perish into the darkness so easily. The Uzumaki Clan is a clan of survivors. Those who endure and grow from hardship when it hits them with the finesse of a spiked club. From what you yourself have heard from the Sandaime Hokage in passing in your earlier years serving as one of his ninja, there are possibly a few survivors of the Uzumaki Clan scattered throughout the known world, and are hiding themselves from those who would seek to destroy or use them for their power. You my dear, are going to find them, and bring them here where they can find protection from such individuals. Such a great clan should never have been broken like that. Trust your instincts in terms of where to start looking. Your new power I have given you will help in your mission. Now go!" commanded Maleficent with Anko nodding before she left in her snake form.

(Wind Country-Suna-Days Later)

"How dare that vile woman do that to me. ME! The Kazekage of Suna!" exclaimed the outraged Kage angrily in his office with Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, and their sensei Baki in the room with him.

"Dad, you kind of scorned her first when you didn't bring Gaara. She had requested him in the letter about wanting to meet with you," offered Kankuro while his Father glared at the boy angrily for bringing that up.

"I don't give a damn what she requested! I am the Kazekage of Suna. I will do what I please and when I please. The only Daimyo I have to answer to is our Wind Daimyo here in Wind Country. She is _NOT_ the Wind Daimyo. As far as I am concerned, she is just a wannabe ruler to a throne of moronic islanders!" exclaimed the Kazekage while his eldest son for a Puppet Master flinched in fear.

"Well her power certainly says otherwise," remarked Temari while Gaara looked at her now with interest on the subject of the Wave Daimyo being powerful.

"Is she strong?" asked Gaara with Temari nodding.

"Rumor has it, she personally killed an A-ranked Missing Nin from Kiri. The infamous Demon of the Bloody Mist Momochi Zabuza," replied Baki since he had heard the rumor himself and found it hard to believe a Daimyo would ever do that.

It was unheard of!

"Bah! She probably found him in an alley of her shit hole for a land somewhere drunk off his ass and killed him once discovering his identity," remarked the Kazekage since he did not believe this woman did such a thing.

Even if she used her strange power to throw him around like that.

"Perhaps she can help me prove my existence," remarked Gaara while his Father stopped pacing and grinned a vicious grin at an idea popping into his head.

"Maybe she can. I did say I would send you there to make her regret humiliating me in front of everyone who saw our argument," said the Kazekage while his children and Baki were surprised by this.

"But Kazekage-sama, killing a Daimyo by any means is _forbidden_! Unless it were under the most extreme of circumstances of a populace being unhappy with their current ruler and were openly revolting against him or her," protested Baki and flinched when the man gave him a glare.

"I don't care! Gaara wants to prove his existence, right? What better way to do it then to kill this Daimyo and bury her entire country in sand?" questioned the Kazekage while Gaara was beginning to like the idea more and more.

"Even still, it has never been done before! If you do this, you are risking Suna's continued existence. The Wind Daimyo might see this as a threat to his rule and will cut all funding to Suna completely!" said Baki while the Kazekage waved his worries off.

"Suna is dying Baki. Its been dying for years since the last Shinobi War ended. The Wind Daimyo has been slowly killing us by cutting funding year after year and outsourcing all of his missions to Konoha. Our..._allies_! We need to make a statement that will tell the world Suna is not done yet. We need to make a massive impact on the world while we still have time. What better way to leave our mark on the world then to have Gaara go to Wave and crush it with his sand," said the Kazekage while Gaara was hearing the voice of his "Mother" in his head saying to do it while demanding blood from the people of Wave Country.

"I'll go. I'll kill them all," said Gaara while his siblings and his sensei looked shocked by this.

"Gaara...are you sure? This could be too much. Even for you!" asked Temari with Gaara looking her right in the eyes and it made the girl shiver in fear.

"Mother demands blood. She wants the blood of those in Wave Country," replied Gaara with the Kazekage grinning at his son.

"Good! You leave in a few days. You'll need to get there by boat since it is an island country. Baki will be assisting you in getting on the island," said the Kazekage while Baki was looking nervous to be alone with Gaara.

The boy barely had any restraint these days.

"Wouldn't it be more strategic to wait until the bridge they are making is finished? By that point, this Wave Daimyo will forget all about us, and let her guard down. Gaara can strike then without having to go by boat where they can easily detect him if he goes into one of the ports," offered Kankuro with Gaara narrowing his eyes at him.

"He has a point. Why not wait a little longer before you do anything Father. This whole thing could blow over if we let it, If it does, we could still get her as a client, and help Suna out of its current situation," remarked Temari with her Father not liking how his two children were indecisive on this and their sensei wasn't showing his support in this either.

"It will not blow over. I could see it plainly as the sand Gaara wields. She won't use our village's services unless the country were in desperate need of our help. No! We will crush this woman and her country in one single strike! However, you bring up a good point about the bridge so we will wait until it is finished. Gaara will use it to cross into Wave Country, kill everyone there, and leave on it before destroying the structure as a final message to all that Suna is not a village to be mocked!" stated the Kazekage with Gaara frowning at the thought of waiting, but relented since it meant more people to kill, and structures to destroy.

He could wait...for now.

(Konoha-Months Later)

"_Nothing_?! All this time and you have still gathered _nothing_ in terms of evidence against this woman?" demanded Fugaku toward the Hokage, who sighed while rubbing his aged, and wrinkled head in frustration.

Jiraiya was fortunately there with him as backup. Oh Kami did he need backup.

"Sadly no. Jiraiya has assured me some of his best spies are in Wave Country right now, their ears to the ground, and eyes wide opening. Unfortunately, none of them have been able to hear, nor see your son, or Mitarashi Anko for that matter. Several, if not all of them have tried to gain employment at her castle, but this Daimyo is very..._picky_ about who is hired among the staff," replied Hiruzen with Fugaku grumbling in anger at the idea of his son being forced to serve this _woman_ of a Daimyo against his will.

It went against the Uchiha Clan way!

"Why not just send a ninja infiltration team in? We've done it before," suggested Fugaku while Hiruzen shook his head no.

"Itachi is held under some kind of power that compels him to serve this woman. If he is using his ninja talents to protect her, chances are Itachi will use them to find said team, and report back to Maleficent. If that happens, she could capture them, and make a big political deal out of it with no solid proof as to why we were infiltrating her country in the first place. There is a reason ninjas do what they do from the shadows Fugaku. It's so they don't get caught and have to explain themselves. If we send a team and it is caught, which it most likely will by either Itachi or Anko, then we will have to explain ourselves, and I don't think you would want to be the one explaining things to our Fire Daimyo without all the proof necessary to back up any claims of foul play we wish to place on Wave's Daimyo," said Hiruzen while Fugaku was angry at feeling so powerless.

Mikoto had been thrilled about Itachi being alive when he first told her, but was angry they could do nothing at the moment without proof, and the red tape of politics coming into play. He told his wife that the proof surrounding this Wave Daimyo's involvement with Itachi's kidnapping was circumstantial and would never hold up in the presence of the Fire Daimyo if he were to make an issue of it. Something Mikoto reluctantly agreed was true since the evidence against Maleficent was not enough to make people believe she had any hand in Itachi being taken.

Even if Motherly instincts had kicked in and screamed in rage at what this other woman had done while demanding she storm Wave Country herself to take back her baby boy.

Granted Itachi was a full grown adult by now, but still her baby boy all the same. She did not spend nine crazy months carrying the boy, going through what seemed like an endless amount of hours of pain in labor, crushing Fugaku's hand in eight different places, and of course cursing the man's existence while bringing Itachi into the world, only to have her eldest son become some strange _devil woman's_ slave!

"But how can we get proof if the means to get it are not useable?!" demanded Fugaku with Hiruzen sighing again since he had this discussion with Jiraiya in the past.

"I honestly don't know Fugaku. Believe me when I say this is not something to be taken lightly. You are not the only one who wants to nip this in the bud. The Hyuuga Clan are surprisingly enough supporting you in this desire to investigate this matter as well," said Hiruzen with Fugaku waving the mention of the Hyuuga Clan off.

"Bah! They don't care about Itachi. They care about their precious bloodline. They fear this woman will somehow sneak into their home and steal the Byakugan from them or find a way around the Cage Bird Seal," remarked Fugaku with Hiruzen nodding.

"Perhaps that is their reason, but you cannot deny having the support of the Hyuuga Clan has its benefits regardless if they profit from it or not," countered the Hokage since he knew support from the Hyuuga Clan on anything was a rare thing unless it involved the protection of their bloodline.

"No I won't deny it. Still, the bridge Wave Country is building will be completed soon. Once that happens, Maleficent will _have _to go to the Capital to speak to the Fire Daimyo. How are we going to prove she has our son and Mitarashi-san before then?!" questioned Fugaku with Hiruzen thinking things over in his head.

"Perhaps we won't need to do anything. If Itachi is indeed Maleficent's servant and able to become a crow through this woman or at will, he maybe with her when she sees the Fire Daimyo. It is not uncommon for Daimyos to have animal pets of some kind and she will no doubt have Itachi or possibly Anko with her as one while keeping watch while on the trip to see our Daimyo. All we have to do is make sure our ninja are in the room to spot Itachi or Anko with the woman before finding some way to force a transformation back into their human form," answered Hiruzen with Fugaku scowling at this plan since it was basically be the only chance they have at exposing Maleficent as a kidnapper.

"We may have only one chance Hiruzen. I do not like gambling with my son's life on an all or nothing moment in time," replied Fugaku with Hiruzen nodding.

"Nor do I Fugaku. I do not wish anything to befall your son. He was and will always be a valued member of Konoha. Both as a citizen and a ninja. I have always thought highly of Itachi and the Uchiha Clan by that extension. If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought what had happened to the Councils, and the Clan Heads attention after it first happened," explained Hiruzen with Fugaku reluctantly nodding since the Uchiha Clan Head knew that much was true.

"It also help take the distrust people were feeling away from us," added Fugaku with the Hokage nodding.

"Another reason why I told them about the kidnapping. The distrust the Uchiha Clan was facing was unwarranted and while I wish things had not resulted in your son being taken, the act was a blessing in disguise by Kami," replied Hiruzen with Fugaku sighing again since he couldn't deny that painful fact too.

"And what is the status of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki? Is he still in his coma?" asked Fugaku somewhat coldly while Hiruzen frowned for a second at the question.

"Sadly yes. Why?" asked Hiruzen curiously with Fugaku frowning further.

"If the Jinchuriki were conscious, it would help in possibly having a witness to confirm it was this woman who took him, Itachi, and Mitarashi-san before she ditched his body," replied Fugaku with Hiruzen scowling at the fact the Uchiha refused to even say the boy's name.

"Unfortunately, the reason behind the boy's coma is something Tsunade herself has been unable to fix, or what caused the coma in the first place. For all we know, the source of the coma is the very power this Maleficent has used on Itachi, and Anko to keep them enslaved. Tsunade theorizes that if it _is_ this power, the only one capable of breaking it is Maleficent, and only of her own volition," replied Hiruzen with Fugaku clenching his fists and teeth in anger.

"Meaning our only witness to her crimes is _useless_. As usual," remarked Fugaku since he never felt the boy had much value aside from being a weapon.

A weapon Hiruzen refused to nurture into a the violent demonic beast they could unleash upon their enemies like Iwa and Kumo. While it did sound very similar to Danzo's way of thinking, the difference was Fugaku wanted something left to build on, and peons to rule over rather then wiping all of them out.

What was the point of conquering your enemies if there was no one left to rule over?

"The boy is far from useless. And the fact Konoha has done little to nurture him in terms of being a normal boy is the fault of the village," said Hiruzen knowing this argument with Fugaku had made the Uchiha scoff in the past just like he did now.

"Normal boy? Please! If I were Hokage, the boy would have crushed Iwa by now with his power," remarked Fugaku before leaving while Hiruzen scowled.

"If you were Hokage, we would have every ninja village coming after us. You and Danzo have no problem instigating conflicts and wars. Not to mention never knowing when to stop," whispered Hiruzen since it was well known that several war mongering individuals on the Councils never did stop to even consider they were overextending themselves and Konoha's resources when picking a fight with someone.

They usually did.

(Rice Country-Orochimaru's Main Base)

The Sannin was grinning his usual grin while watching his various experiments float in tanks, were on operating tables, or in holding cells waiting to be placed in the previous two. His search for Immortality was making progress. His Curse Seal had been refined since using the first one on Anko and he had a wide variety of bodies to choose from when the time came to leap from one body to the next. His spy Kabuto was keeping him informed of the ongoing life of Konoha and was amused to hear how they believe the Wave Daimyo known as Maleficent had not only taken Uchiha Itachi, but his former student Anko too.

How absurd.

Daimyo's were rulers over the land they controlled. That much was a given. An accepted truth since the early years of the Elemental Countries being forged through warfare. But to kidnap them? Enslave them? Ha! Even worse was the rumors spread by Kiri that one of their rogue Missing Nin and the former Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had been killed by this Wave Daimyo.

This so called...Maleficent!

Normally, he would send Kabuto or one of his spies to investigate the matter to confirm the rumor being true or false. Unfortunately, Konoha got involved not that long ago, and Jiraiya himself was no doubt getting involved too with his own spies secretly trying to get close to this woman to find out what her intentions are once the bridge was completed. It was simply safer and easier to let Jiraiya's spies do all the work so Kabuto could send him the information afterwards.

Deciding to focus on other things at the moment, Orochimaru saw the red haired girl Karin taking various specimen jars out of the lab to put in storage. He had a suspicion about the girl being an Uzumaki, but was unsure if it was really the case. If it weren't for the long list of his many projects was working on, Orochimaru would have taken a blood sample from the girl, and done the analysis himself. But it was on a low list of priorities at the moment so the Sannin ignored it for now while leaving a small mental note to take care of such a task on a slower day.

If only he knew how much it would cost him in the future.

As the snake Sannin worked in his lab underneath one of the small villages he had for a base that was Sound, he failed to notice a snake slithering around in the shadows. While many would find a snake in a lab to be stranger, it wasn't for Orochimaru, as he was surrounded by them on many occasions, and they all knew to _never_ bite him.

Not that it mattered if they did seeing how Orochimaru made himself immune to all forms of venom a snake possessed.

But this snake in particular was different. This was a snake that was not part of the usual group of serpents, which slithered around the labs, and different areas where Orochimaru spent most of his days.

This python for a snake slithered methodically along the ground, its eyes staring at the back of Orochimaru's head. For a moment, the eyes just stared before they glowed a green fiery glow, and peered around the room. Seeing what it was hunting was not in the room, the snake slithered out of the lab, away from Orochimaru, and ignoring the strong impulse to slither up to the Sannin to bite him right in the ass.

Sadly, the orders of the snake's Mistress came above all feelings of revenge, and one did not disobey one's Master without suffering extreme consequences.

Slithering from room to room, the snake used its "enhanced" eyes to see things beyond the usual, and what a snake of its caliber would usually observe. Prior to Anko leaving, Maleficent had secretly enhanced her eyes for the purpose of detecting potential Uzumaki Clan members. And not just the full blooded ones either. Maleficent knew that there was always a chance there would be others with Uzumaki blood in their veins that were not full blooded. As such, Maleficent wanted her to find as many of them as possible, and to make Naruto have a family again.

Hence why Anko was here. She knew if _anyone_ was going to find potential anyone with Uzumaki blood in their veins, it was Orochimaru. The man wanted all things that would delay the power of death from taking him, and the Uzumaki Clan were well known for their longevity. It was rumored some of the oldest Uzumaki Clan members at the time of Whirlpool's fall were well over a hundred years old, yet looked no older then mid to late sixties, and yet moved like they were in their _early_ _thirties_! It was only natural that the Sannin would seek out a full blooded member or two for his research, maybe even use one for a body, or at least have one to get fresh samples for additional testing.

Sniffing around, Anko caught the scent of someone with Uzumaki blood walking about, and followed the scent to another nearby lab. Once inside, Anko saw a red haired girl with glasses sitting in a chair reading from a scroll filled with different forms of medical information Orochimaru had wanted her to learn. Anko could only assume this Uzumaki, if what the magic enhanced eyes could see, was enlisted to be a future healer or Medic for the Sannin in the event something happened to the body he inhabited. The girl must have a knack for it if the level of theory of the skill written on the scroll was any indication and the lack of shackles indicated the girl wasn't a prisoner here either.

This girl was here _willingly_! Or at least had no idea she was being used by Orochimaru for his own ends. Not yet anyway.

That was about to change.

As Anko locked eyes with the target from the shadows of the room under a lab table, her eyes glowed slightly brighter, and another special ability Maleficent granted the woman was activated. What is this power you may ask? It was the power to show Maleficent exactly what she was seeing with her eyes in order for the former Fairy Queen to make the ultimate decision about the girl.

_"Excellent my dear. You have found. And a full blooded Uzumaki too! While I loath your former Master, I do give him credit for finding such a person so soon. Now that I have a confirmed lock onto her chakra signature, focus on the rest of this base, and keep looking for more of my son's kin. If this Sannin you despise has one full blooded Uzumaki already in his possession, there is a strong chance he has another. Sniff them out my dear girl,"_ said Maleficent through the mental connection she made to Anko while seeing what the kunoichi was seeing by looking into the orb on her staff.

'Yes Mistress,' thought Anko knowing that Maleficent had locked onto the girl's chakra signature through her eyes and could pull this Uzumaki away at any time in the next 24 hours.

Slithering out of the lab, Anko made her way to the rooms where Orochimaru's personal guard, which he hand picked personally to protect him. Each given a Curse Seal meant to increase their power and abilities to the point where a squad of Jounin working together would be the only way for _one _of them to fall. Hell, if all four of them teamed up, and fought in perfect harmony, they might be able to take on Orochimaru.

If the Curse Seals allowed it.

Though Anko was not really interested in all four bodyguards at this particular moment in time. She was at the moment, only really interested in _one_ of the four. The one she sensed was an Uzumaki if the snake nose her python head possessed was right about the smell coming off one of the rooms where a particular vulgar red head (by the apparent name of Tayuya) was swearing up a storm into a vent toward a large and round in the waistline male of the group.

Apparently, they were having words, and the fat one mentioned how the girl was acting in a manner unbefitting a girl.

"Fucking fat asshole! Why don't you come in here and say all those things to my face!" exclaimed Tayuya while banging on the wall with the guy on the other side mumbling something neither woman could hear.

'Let's see now. Red hair? Check! Angry temper? Check! Tomboyish attitude? Check! Swearing like a sailor having a bad day? Check, even its somewhat extreme. Then again, she is Orochimaru's subordinate so that might explain some things. Now let's see what my eyes can see about this girl,' thought Anko while her eyes shined in the dark corner of the room after entering and saw this girl was indeed an Uzumaki just like the other one with glasses.

The only difference here was Tayuya had a Curse Seal on her and only amplified various characteristics of the Uzumaki personality of its females. Namely their tomboyish attitude and desire to punch things or people when they were angry.

_"I see her too my child. Hmm...that Curse Seal she has on her neck is not like yours. Its not only different, I sense it is complete in terms of what it was designed for when used. Such a perverse way of cheating death when you think about it. Using one's own soul in the seal to anchor you into the body when needing to jump into it. So pathetic. The man is not a snake at all. Just a leech sucking the life out of everyone he bites down on whether his Curse Seal is successful or not. But that is beside the point now. From what your eyes and your nose have told me regarding your stay here in this base of your former Master, I think it is safe to say these two Uzumaki girls are the only ones in his possession. I can only wonder if your former Master even realizes they are members of the Uzumaki? Oh well, we can find out when I ask the girls about it after I bring them here. Slither on home child. You have done enough for me today and you can always return later or find one of his other bases in the future when time permits,"_ commanded Maleficent with Anko now nodding before she did just that while knowing her eyes had tagged the girl with a magic aura only Maleficent could see and use how she wished.

By the time Orochimaru even realized that two of his subordinates were gone, it wouldn't be until the very next day. It would also be too late to use the hand sign sequence needed to trigger Tayuya's Curse Seal in the event this happened with its purpose being to kill her in a rather painful fashion. And by painful fashion, Orochimaru had it where the seal would fry Tayuya's chakra coils from the inside before letting the poisonous nature of the act burn into her network of nerves running through said body like a corrosive acid.

(Wave Country-Daimyo Throne Room-Moments Later)

Maleficent smiled at her two new acquisitions. They were indeed of Uzumaki blood. Full blooded too. Orphaned like her son at a young age, but both had parents during their early infant years. Unfortunately, it was clear that their parents died when they were too young to remember anything of them, and only had cloudy hazy images that got cloudier as time went on.

"I don't know who or what you are bitch, but you just made one big fucking mistake in kidnapping me!" exclaimed Tayuya and was about to let out a string of curses if not for the fact a metal plate magically appeared over her mouth.

Thus silencing the girl's foul mouthed tantrum.

"Such a foul mouth you have girl. It is worse then what Anko said it was. We will have to fix that," remarked Maleficent while eyeing the angry glaring red haired Tayuya currently bound in magic shackles that also prevented the girl from using her chakra.

Both of them.

"Um...why are we here?" asked the other girl, who went by the name of Karin.

"An excellent question. And from such a polite girl. Much better then your female polar opposite," commented Maleficent with an amusing smirk while Tayuya glared harder and kept swearing behind her metal plate of a barrier.

"The reason you are here is because of her son," answered Anko from behind the two red heads.

"Huh? Her son?!" questioned Karin while looking behind her at Anko before looking at Maleficent.

"Yes. My son. I brought you here because of him," added Maleficent with Karin looking even more nervous while being here and Tayuya looked ready to bite through the metal plate at this point.

If the metal plate wasn't bolted in along the sides, she probably would have done it.

"Uh...what does your son want with us?" asked Karin nervously since she assumed her and Tayuya would be playing a rather..._questionable_ role in this mysterious boy's life.

"Why to be part of his family of course. You are both from the Uzumaki Clan by blood, correct?" questioned Maleficent while seeing their shocked faces.

"Uzkehi?" asked Tayuya with a frown since she didn't think anything about her family before being part of Orochimaru's group.

"How do you know about that? Not even Orochimaru knows that hidden fact!" asked Karin while Maleficent smirked and Tayuya looked surprised.

"Because my son is half Uzumaki. I used that to lock onto your full blooded one. I am quite surprised Orochimaru had no idea he had two full blooded Uzumaki in his hands," replied Maleficent with Karin and Tayuya looking at each other.

'We're family?' thought Karin and Tayuya at the same time.

"As things stand, your lives are wasted in the service of Orochimaru. Not to mention he would have thrown the two of you away once your usefulness expired. Don't deny it," said Maleficent with both girls grumbling after a moment since they knew she was right.

"So about your son. You said he was an Uzumaki?" asked Karin in the hopes this wasn't going to get _too weird_ for either of them.

"Of course. Naruto-kun. Please show yourself to these girls. They want to meet a fellow member of their long lost clan," replied Maleficent while her son suddenly appeared from the darkness near the woman's thrown while hefting the massive sword on his shoulders.

'Well...at least he's not ugly,' thought Tayuya while seeing the blonde haired boy and was glad a member of her clan wasn't a sissy.

'His chakra is massive! How did I not sense it sooner?!' thought Karin while she saw the boy bow slightly in front of them.

"Its an honor to meet fellow members of my clan. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I know you have many questions still to be answered, but rest assured that in no way will you be considered prisoners, or slaves while living here in this castle. To me, you are and always will be considered above all else...family," said Naruto to the shock of the girls before he looked at his Mother, who nodded to him in understanding, and with a wave of her index finger freed the girl's from their shackles.

Though Maleficent made sure the metal plate on Tayuya's mouth remained. Much to the still angry girl's ire.

"You really want us to be your family?" asked Karin with Naruto nodding.

"I didn't have one before I met my Mother. I wouldn't even know I had a clan if it wasn't for her, Itachi, and Anko helping in my education," replied Naruto with Karin nodding before her eyes opened in realization.

"Wait! You said Uzumaki Naruto, right? As in the Jinchuriki from Konoha?!" questioned Karin with Naruto shaking his head.

"_Formerly_ from Konoha. I...I can't call that place a home for someone like me after all I went through," replied Naruto with Karin nodding meekly since she had an idea of what he was talking about.

It was no real secret that Jinchuriki were not well liked or treated well.

"Sorry. It sounds like life there was pretty bad," said Karin with Naruto smiling sadly at her.

"Yeah it was bad, but when Kaa-san appeared in my life...everything changed," replied Naruto while smiling now at Maleficent, who smiled gently at him before turning her attention back to Tayuya, and saw the girl glaring angrily with her finger pointing to the metal plate.

"I'll remove the metal plate, but you must promise not to swear in my presence. If you do, I will see to it that you can never speak again and only way you will ever eat is if the food were stuffed up your nose," said Maleficent with Tayuya narrowing her eyes.

"Ykjr vujdufg!" said Tayuya, which if translated would be "Your bluffing!" to everyone hearing her.

"Oh I do not bluff dear girl. You maybe important to my son, but I will not tolerate your swearing in my presence, or you possibly wishing to hurt my child. If you do either, I promise you this one thing above all others...Orochimaru will be the _least_ of your worries should you anger me," said Maleficent, as she leaned into Tayuya's ear, and whispered her threat to the girl while placing a firm hand on the red head's shoulder.

All Tayuya could do was nod frantically since the woman's power made Orochimaru look like a chump by comparison.

With a smile on her face, Maleficent removed the metal plate on the girl's mouth before she focused on the Cure Seal on the back of Tayuya's neck. Like before, the dark witch removed Orochimaru's corrupting soul from the Curse Seal before she used her magic to stabilize it.

"That hurt damn it!" exclaimed Tayuya angrily with Maleficent smiling mischievously at her.

"Pain breeds character dear. Now you have some. Besides, would you prefer your former Master use the intricacies of the Curse Seal to kill you? Because from what I saw, he had that power should you get too rebellious, or try to betray him," countered Maleficent, as she saw Tayuya shut up, but kept scowling all the same, and looked away from the dark scary woman.

"So now that we are free from Orochimaru, not that we were prisoners, or even slaves mind you...what do we do now?" asked Karin curiously with Maleficent smiling a gentle smile at the girl.

"Simple my dear. You will live here in this castle with us. I will assure you the best of educations about your clan and being a ninja. After all, I refuse to have this family grow into something weak, and spineless when facing future enemies," answered Maleficent while she saw the two girls nod and both pleased they would be growing stronger along side their cousin.

"Um...not to get some kind of pecking order here, but when it comes to our clan...who rules it? I'm guessing Naruto here will when he's a full grown adult, but...who will be the Clan Head until that time?" asked Tayuya with Maleficent smiling further.

"As the boy's adopted Mother, I have taken over the Uzumaki Clan as a regent of sorts, and will hand over all duties of the clan to him once he is an adult," answered Maleficent while she saw Naruto nodding and knew he would try harder to be an efficient Clan Head as well as her son worthy of being the next Daimyo.

Of course the later would only happen should their come a time where he would have to take over that position from his Mother should it become necessary.

"Makes sense," remarked Tayuya while she looked around the room to get a feel for it.

"Excellent! Naruto, why don't you ne a dear and show them some of the rooms available to them," offered maleficent with Naruto nodding at the idea since he wanted to bond with his cousins.

"Yes Kaa-san. Follow me please," replied Naruto while Tayuya looked indifferent with Karin at least looking interested at the idea of living in Daimyo's castle.

"Such a good boy. Polite, yet firm in his tone of voice. He will be a strong Clan Head one day. And in the event I can no longer be Daimyo of this land, he will be a great ruler in my place," said Maleficent to herself before Haku appeared via an ice mirror and kneeled in her presence.

"Maleficent-sama, I bring word regarding the bridge," came Haku's whispered voice.

"I'm listening Haku," replied Maleficent since she had asked Haku to get an update on the status of the bridge.

"Tazuna says at the rate things are progressing, the bridge will be finished within shortly after Naruto-sama's twelfth birthday," said Haku with Maleficent nodding and was quite pleased by this.

"Excellent news. Once he has officially finished, I wish to be informed so I can inspect the bridge personally. When I have deemed it ready, I will go see the Fire Daimyo to negotiate trading rights, and gaining access to the trading lanes to reach new partners we could not reach through the seas," replied Maleficent with Haku nodding.

"I will inform him immediately," said Haku with her Mistress nodding.

"After you are done, come back to meet Naruto's cousins. Let them know that they have a fellow female around their age living here. It will make things easier on them in terms of transition," commanded Maleficent in a kind and gentle tone.

"Yes Mistress," replied Haku before she vanished into the ice to carry out her orders.

(Konoha-Hokage's Office-Two Months Later)

"So the bridge will be finished soon?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"Yep! Depending on the given rate of construction they have right now, the bridge will be ready by the start of next year. You can actually see the bridge now being built on the main land where they are going to connect," replied Jiraiya since he went there himself to see the bridge being built off in the distance.

"I will have some of the ANBU setup a small camp in that area to watch the progress of the bridge being built. We need to see if she makes an appearance with Naruto, Anko, or Itachi since I expect her to properly inspect it beforehand with them in tow," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding since it will give them time to prepare and have the Fire Daimyo get ready for the impending negotiations.

"Interesting enough, I think this woman might have struck again," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen looking interested when hearing this.

"Really? Who did she steal from this time?" asked Hiruzen curiously.

"Orochimaru. If what my spies tell me is indeed accurate, she somehow stole _two people_ right from underneath his pale ass nose," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen narrowing his eyes at the mention of his former student.

"Anyone this woman would take from Orochimaru clearly has clearly gain her interest in some manner. What do you know about her targets?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya sadly shrugging at the question.

"Not much really. One was a former bodyguard with a Curse Seal and the other was an apparent Medic Nin in training. Both girls had red hair too," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen frowning before his eyes widened.

"Jiraiya, do you think..._Orochimaru_ found two full blooded Uzumakis?" asked Hiruzen while Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock before palming his face.

"Of course he did. That man can find anything if he puts his mind to it. Even if my old teme of a teammate doesn't realize what he's got. Maleficent must have found out he had two of them and got them out of there before Orochimaru could do anything too severe. Though given what I've heard of their status before the kidnapping, I honestly don't think he knew they were Uzumaki by blood. They weren't dissected or experimented on like all his other test subjects," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"Yes. That would be Orochimaru's way of doing things when he has something worth his time. Though whether they were Uzumakis or not, the man does not like it when people take things from him. Do you think he suspects Maleficent at all?" questioned Hiruzen, as he knew Orochimaru would not take this lying down, and look for the kidnappers of what he held with the intent to rip the person or persons apart.

"No. Not yet anyway. First, I think he will suspect they ran away. Next, he will check to ensure that was the case. After that, I expect he'll assume they were kidnapped somehow, and investigate the matter personally. Anyone who can infiltrate his base, get close to what he calls his property, and taking it will really land a massive blow to his pride," said Jiraiya since he knew how his former teammate acted when things were taken from him.

The Sannin acted like an angry child when that happened. It would almost be funny if it wasn't for the simple horrifying fact that Orochimaru wasn't afraid to hurt the person or people responsible for taking what he deemed to be his things.

"This brings us to our newest dilemma Jiraiya. On one hand, we could easily expose the fact Maleficent kidnapped these two girls from Rice Country. But if we do that, it will no doubt attract Orochimaru's attention, and we don't want that either. If he finds those two full blooded Uzumaki in Maleficent's hands, chances are he will find Itachi, Anko, and Naruto before acting to claim _ALL_ of them," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya sighing and knew they were screwed no matter what they did.

"I think we should keep gathering evidence. If we call her out on taking the girls during the negotiations and provide proof of it, we can use such an incident as a means of getting leverage over her. Since the Uzumaki Clan were allied with Konoha before their fall, we can say that the two girls, and Naruto should be relocated to the village to be raised with love and warmth," offered Jiraiya while Hiruzen nodded since they could play that angle.

"We just have to hope Maleficent isn't able to counter our argument with one of her own about Naruto's past abuse. If she can prove Naruto was abused, it could make things a bit more challenging for us. If the village would hurt an Uzumaki like Naruto, who is to say they won't betray the two girls? We must be very careful Jiraiya. This woman had more then enough evidence on her side to make us appear to be the bad guys when we make," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"I intend to be there watching the negotiations Maleficent has with the Fire Daimyo and use Sage Mode to get a proper reading on her. Make sure your son is there to keep an eye on her too. His position as one of the Guardian Twelve gives him a good excuse to watch over the negotiations," said Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"I was hoping to have Asuma become a Jounin sensei at the end of this upcoming year once the latest batch of students from the Academy have graduated. Granted I expect him too, but he hasn't been in Konoha as much as I would like, and I wanted him to look at all the proper potential students with the other Jounin assigned to have Genin teams. This year almost one third of our potential graduates are Clan Heirs," remarked Hiruzen while Jiraiya whistle at that since it rarely happened.

"Are they even ready to graduate sensei? I mean, the Academy's standards have dropped since you came back out of retirement. They would be around Naruto's age, right?" asked Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"I think they will be ready when the time comes. I'm having their far more experienced senseis take a heavy interest in their training once they graduate. I will _insist_ upon them that they do. Your spies have reported a lot of stirring in Iwa and Kumo recently. Suna is acting weird as well. An unrest has fallen over the Elemental Countries Jiraiya. Whether this Maleficent is responsible or not I cannot tell, but what I do know is she not someone to underestimate. Be careful," replied Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding.

"I will sensei. Trust me," said Jiraiya before leaping out the window.

"I trust you Jiraiya. Its this strange woman and her powers that I don't trust," whispered Hiruzen since he knew this was a very dangerous game they were playing or would be playing soon.

Politics usually was and it normally concluded when the one with the bigger leverage or bigger stick usually won in the end. Especially if the said person with the bigger stick in hand had no problem using it to beat the other person into submission...or death.

From what Hiruzen had heard about Maleficent...she was indeed wielding a big stick and wasn't afraid to use it.

(A/N: YAY! A big fat update for you all. I hope this was good for you guys. Until next time...PEACE!)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-Politcal Problems

Tazuna was nervous. Very nervous. So nervous he wished for the biggest barrel of sake this side of the Elemental Countries. Why did Tazuna feel this way? Simple. His Daimyo, the great Maleficent was inspecting the bridge he had built over the last couple of years. She was inspecting the structure Tazuna and his crew put their blood, sweat, and tears into building with all the muscle and back pains to prove it. It had taken _years_ to build this massive structure with her approval, her blessing, and resources she provided. Now his Daimyo was walking along the bridge to see if it was worthy of being used for trade.

Oh Kami did he need a drink right now.

"Most impressive Tazuna. Wide enough for transports, but not enough to move a massive army through. Very nice," remarked Maleficent while looking around as she was walking and gazed over the side of the structure to see how high they were above the water.

"Thank you your Majesty. I am humbled by your compliments," replied Tazuna while bowing his head to her.

"With this bridge, our ability to trade will indeed expand at least three fold. We will now have access to lands that are not connected through water. What do you think my son?" said Maleficent while Naruto was also inspecting the bridge with his own keen eyes.

"It is quite impressive Kaa-san. There is no denying that. Though I think we should add some form of bridge security checkpoint areas for the samurai when they are posted here to ensure we don't let in just _anyone_ into Wave Country," replied Naruto with Maleficent nodding in agreement.

"Indeed. We can add that on later though. The bridge being completed overall comes first my son. Now that it is, we need to speak to the Fire Daimyo about using his trading lanes to gain the necessary access to our future trading partners," said Maleficent with Naruto nodding while Tazuna looked extremely happy his Daimyo was pleased.

Granted, he would have to make those additional add-ons for the samurai when guarding the bridge from bandits and other unsavory characters, but that could come later! He just finished a massive building project beyond all measure of construction! It was a time for celebration...and sake!

"Now all the bridge needs is a name," added Kaiza, who was Tazuna's son-in-law, and also helped on the project.

"Yes it does. Such a wonderful structure deserves a name befitting it. And as the creator of this bridge, I think its only fair that _you_ Tazuna be the one to give this creation its well deserved name," replied Maleficent with Tazuna looking stunned by this.

"Me?! Give it a name? I uh...I uh don't know what to name it to be honest. I'm not one for giving out super good names," replied Tazuna while looking sheepish.

"I see. What about you Kaiza?" asked Maleficent with Kaiza shaking his head.

"I'm not sure what to name it either. I think the best person to name the bridge would be you your Majesty," offered Kaiza with Maleficent thinking it over while gazing at her son in thought.

"What do you think my son? You clearly have an idea about the name, correct?" asked a curious Maleficent while seeing Naruto closing his eyes deep in thought over the name of the bridge.

"I think it should be named the Great Maleficent Bridge. After you Kaa-san. It is only right considering how Wave Country wouldn't be what it is today without you in many aspects," offered Naruto with Maleficent looking a tad amused he would want the bridge named after her.

Such a loving child she was raising. Truly a gift from nature itself and the Gods above.

"The Great Maleficent Bridge? It does have a nice ring to it I will admit," said Maleficent with Tazuna and Kaiza nodding in agreement since it did sound catchy when rolled off the tongue.

"I think its perfect. Named after the super Wave Daimyo responsible for Wave Country's growing prosperity!" exclaimed Tazuna with Maleficent smirking for a second before she nodded in a gracious manner.

"Very well. By the power bestowed upon me as the Daimyo of Wave Country, I hereby decree that this structure will be forever named The Great Maleficent Bridge!" declared Maleficent with Naruto nodding while Tazuna and Kaiza cheered.

The whole country was going to celebrate soon.

Off in the distance of the main land of Fire Country, a small of group of Konoha ANBU watched Maleficent from a tree line with binoculars.

"Hawk, what do you see with your eyes?" asked Boar while the one named Hawk used his Byakugan to get a closer look in a more enhanced way before flinching behind his mask.

"Her chakra is...is _massive_! Like some kind of bottomless pit that never ends!" said Hawk in shock at what his eyes beheld.

"Is it the same kind of chakra you saw years ago?" asked Neko while she saw Hawk nod since he had been among those searching for three, now officially _two_ kidnapped people.

"It was weaker back then. Much weaker. But it is _definitely_ the same. Whoever this woman is, she has a lot of power inside of her," confirmed Hawk while the ANBU looked at each other.

"Should we report this to Sandaime-sama? Or should we stay and watch?" asked Boar while their ANBU Captain Neko thought for a second.

"We stay and watch, but Hawk should also go report this to Hokage-sama. With Hawk's eyes seeing what they did, it will be impossible for Hiruzen to doubt this woman was the one responsible for the kidnappings years ago. He can give this information to the Fire Daimyo for leverage during the trade negotiations," answered Neko with Hawk nodding since this was valuable information.

"Right," said Hawk before leaving to report his findings.

None of the ANBU saw the crow with the Sharingan Eyes looking down on them from its perch on a branch way above their own before flying away silently.

(2 Weeks Later)

"Do you have to go Grandpa?" asked an eight year old Inari standing beside his Mother Tsunade and his Stepfather Kaiza.

In a way, Inari was stalling for time since his Grandfather was going to get into the big carriage with Maleficent (Itachi and Anko already in their animals form with her) and Naruto himself who was already inside too. Haku was the one holding the reigns while Tayuya and Karin were disguised as handmaiden attendants with a spell cast around them to change their hair and eye color to cover up their Uzumaki traits.

At least for now. They still had their abilities, but no one would know that it was because they were members of the Uzumaki Clan.

"Can't be helped Inari. Maleficent-sama's orders. She wants the Fire Daimyo to know who gets credit for building the super bridge me and your Father helped build. Plus, I may have to answer any questions about the bridge that could come up during the talks. Things like structural integrity, endurance to the weather, and other things related to its overall construction," answered Tazuna while kneeling down and ruffling his Grandson's hair.

"But why?" asked Inari with Tazuna shrugged a little.

"It is just the way it is Inari. Remember, merchants are going to cross this bridge to sell, and buy goods from Wave. They will want assurances this bridge won't collapse before they get halfway to the main island. If they don't have assurance the bridge is stable and long lasting, they will not do business with Wave at all," explained Tazuna while Inari frowned.

"That's stupid! You built the bridge. Of course its safe!" exclaimed Inari while Tazuna laughing.

"If only everyone were so trusting and believed in my skills as you do Inari," replied Tazuna before getting in the carriage while Haku in her masked ninja uniform was driving the carriage with a contingent of samurai on either side of it.

"It's time to go my dear. We have a meeting to get to and I will not be late," commanded Maleficent before tapping the carriage with her staff to signal the girl to begin their little journey.

"Yes Maleficent-sama," whispered Haku before she commanded the horses to begin their trek to the Fire Capital.

(Fire Country Capital-2 Days Later)

"The Wave Daimyo is here," said Asuma, as he had seen the carriage pull into the gate leading into the courtyard, and the Fire Daimyo's castle beyond it.

"Good. Who else is with her?" asked Hiruzen, as he had requested to the Fire Daimyo that he would be present for this, and assigned Tsunade as temporary Hokage in his absence to run Konoha.

He also made it where she would be the actual Hokage upon his death in the event things turned nasty here and was killed in the battle. While the Sandaime didn't believe it would come to that, it was better to be ready all the same, and it also helped in denying Danzo his own ambitions of becoming the Hokage as well.

"Some masked ninja. Maybe hired protection like the samurai. I can't see a headband, but the mask resembles the ones the Hunter Nins from Kiri use. Strange. I also see two girl's dressed as handmaidens next to the masked ninja," replied Asuma with Hiruzen frowning since he remembered how Jiraiya said two girls had been taken from Orochimaru.

"Do they have red hair?" asked Hiruzen while looking as well.

"No. Brown and black. They also don't walk like ninja either. Their stance is too meek and too mild when walking and I can't sense anything remotely strong about their chakra signature," remarked Asuma with Hiruzen's eyes narrowing.

"We'll see," replied Hiruzen while focusing now on the door that was opened and saw the occupants who stepped out.

First, it was an old man with glasses, and looked a little scruffy despite being dressed up for this event. An aid maybe? Or a servant perhaps? Second was a young boy, dressed head to toe in ninja attire with only his eyes being revealed though it was hard to see the eye color from their position. But the chakra level produced by the kid was _enormous_! It practically stunned every single Sensor Ninja all around the Fire Daimyo's castle and now gained the attention of just about everyone who could sense it whether skillfully or not. And finally, Maleficent herself in all her dark glory came out of the carriage last, a hand from the boy extended to the woman, who took the offered hand, smiling at the boy, and gracefully exited the carriage fully like any regal individual did.

"So that's Maleficent. Got to say, the horns, and dark clothing aside...she is a looker," said Asuma with Hiruzen nodding since he thought the woman wearing all black was indeed beautiful in her own way.

'Still, why all black? She looks like a woman in mourning. All she needs is a veil over her face and she would definitely look the part,' thought Hiruzen before glancing at the boy with the massive chakra reserves currently eyeing his surroundings for possible threats to the Wave Daimyo.

"How can that gaki have such massive reserves? They seem to rival if not surpass yours!" questioned Asuma since he had felt his Father's chakra years ago when as a child growing up and now.

While the chakra in the Sandaime had diminished as it normally does with old age, the man was not without an extensive reserve of chakra. Yet this twelve year old kid was...he was rivaling his old man's chakra level back in the day when Sarutobi Hiruzen was feared by many.

"Yes. It is most unusual. Look at Maleficent's shoulder," remarked Hiruzen while Asuma squinted a bit and his eyes widened.

"A crow and a snake," whispered Asuma with Hiruzen nodding.

"Itachi and Anko. Meaning that the boy with her...is Naruto," concluded Hiruzen while his son nodded.

"That explains why his chakra is so massive. The kid is a regular walking chakra battery after all," remarked Asuma with Hiruzen nodding.

"Make sure to inform the Fire Daimyo of this during the talks with Maleficent. I be will watching from a distance while Jiraiya tries to figure out how to break Itachi and Anko from their animal forms while she is in front of our Daimyo. If we can expose her as a liar and kidnapper, we can gain solid ground in reclaiming them all from the woman in order to prevent a possible conflict between two nations," replied Hiruzen with Asuma nodding.

"What if Maleficent refuses to hand them over? And it does become a war between two nation?" asked Asuma with Hiruzen's eyes hardening slightly.

"Then Konoha and the samurai army of the Fire Daimyo make it a short one. Itachi and Anko are vital ninja of Konoha. Naruto is vital to the balance between all five Shinobi villages and must stay in Konoha to defend its walls no matter what," stated Hiruzen with Asuma looking at him for a second.

"Not to be insulting Dad, but you _almost_ sounded like Danzo there for a second. Minus the whole 'emotions are weaknesses and must be removed' part of the speech," remarked Asuma with Hiruzen's eyes softening a bit.

"I know. But there is one thing we agree on when it comes to Jinchuriki as a whole. Such an individual like Naruto _must_ stay in Konoha and _must_ protect the future of the village," replied Hiruzen while Asuma sighed when hearing that.

"Even if it means crushing the boy's happiness?" questioned Asuma while his Father had surprisingly nodded.

"Yes. Even if means taking that happiness from Naruto. He will understand one day. It is for the greater good. He must sacrifice his happiness for the sake of those in the village. My sensei and his wife did it before they died, Minato and Kushina did it, and Naruto can do it too. Its his purpose. It is the cycle that cannot...that _must not_ be broken now of all times when shadows stir with unrest," replied Hiruzen while Asuma frowned further at him.

"You speak of people sacrificing themselves for the greater good, but when was the last time you sacrificed anything for such a cause?" asked Asuma with Hiruzen being silent for a moment.

"I have never had to sacrifice anything of myself for that cause. It has always been those around me that pay the ultimate price," said Hiruzen while Asuma sighing again.

"Hence why you don't feel as guilty as you should for wanting to take Naruto away from this woman, who clearly treats him as if he were her child. Just don't be surprised if that is the case here between them and you unknowingly unleash a Mother's wrath down upon us when you make your move," remarked Asuma before walking away to inform the Fire Daimyo of Maleficent's arrival.

(The Meeting Room)

The Fire Daimyo sat in his chair, his paper fan in his hand, wiping his face repeatedly to keep his face cool, and awaiting Maleficent's arrival. In truth, he was partially nervous in meeting this woman due to the stories he heard about her power, and how she used it to kill an A-ranked Missing Nin from Kiri. Normally, the Fire Daimyo handled male Feudal Lords, which involved the drinking of expensive sake, playing a friendly game of Shogi (with both Daimyos occasionally cheating in secret to win) or two, and of course talking lecherously about all the beautiful women they see in their lands along with some of the tales of their time with the various mistresses over their actual wives.

But this? This was different.

This was a _female_ ruler. One who may or may not like to partake in sake. Who may or may not like to play a game of Shogi (and secretly cheating when the opponent wasn't looking) to pass the time. And one who would certainly _NOT_ partake in any lecherous stories about their conquests in bed with beautiful women.

The Fire Daimyo also knew this woman was here for business purposes and that was it. So dragging this out with sake and Shogi to squeeze additional profits for Fire Country was out of the question.

"Presenting her Majesty and entourage, the Daimyo of Wave Country! The beautiful and wise Queen Maleficent!" declared a servant of the Fire Daimyo while everyone rose from their seats or stood straighter if they were already standing.

In walked the procession of samurai that came with the woman before getting into two single lines and hands on the hilt of their swords. Moments later, Maleficent walked into the room in all her regal glory. Beside the former Fairy Queen was Tazuna in a very nice suit, which the man had not worn since his daughter's wedding to Kaiza two years ago. Naruto in his ninja attire was on the right side of his Mother, and Haku in her own ninja attire was on the other. Itachi and Anko were in their animal forms, both of them residing on Maleficent's shoulders while the two "handmaidens" were there, and walking behind the dark witch at a respectable distance.

"Your Majesty," replied Maleficent while giving a small regal bow to the Fire Daimyo while her son, Haku, and "handmaidens" did the same.

"Queen Maleficent. You brought quite the group with you. I wasn't expecting such a large group here accompany you," remarked the Fire Daimyo while seeing Maleficent smiling at him

"Perhaps, but this is a very special occasion for Wave. I brought Tazuna because it was his creation and was the one in charge of the construction of our bridge. I felt the nobles as well as yourselves would want certain questions answered about the bridge and there is no one better to answer them all then him," replied Maleficent while they moved to the meeting table where several nobles sat and several of the Guardian Twelve stood behind the chair their Feudal Lord would sit in.

Off to the side, the Sandaime Hokage was watching thing with sharp eyes, and listening to everything with an analytical mind. Around him were several ANBU with two having the Byakugan (from the Branch family), one from the Inuzuka Clan, and one from the Uchiha Clan.

In fact, the Uchiha in question was Itachi's _Mother_ since she wasn't going to be denied the chance to free her son from this witch's evil control. Further back, Jiraiya was currently in Sage mode, and watching Maleficent's power through his own sensory perception while in this state.

'Her power is immense. I can tell the boy is Naruto from his chakra reserves and the two standing together basically makes me feel like I'm standing next to a chakra made ball the size of the sun,' thought Jiraiya while seeing the woman take a seat in the chair meant for her and Naruto along with Tazuna sitting in the ones quickly provided for them.

Haku stood behind and between both Maleficent and Naruto while looking to be on high alert for trouble. The "handmaidens" were standing on the other side between Maleficent and Tazuna while staring ahead yet ready to respond to any orders given to them my their Mistress.

"As this is a negotiation regarding trade, I would like to open this discussion with why you wanted to have a bridge built in the first place? Wave has mostly been exporting and importing its good through the shipping lanes of the seas. Why the sudden change in your trading policy?" asked the Fire Daimyo while waving his fan back and forth.

"Its quite simple your Majesty. While shipping from the seas is indeed easy to do given the multiple ports surrounding my country, I know one cannot go wrong with another one not tied to the sea. What if the ships of Wave or the ports themselves were embargoed? Or there was a blockade cutting off supplies coming in or out by sea? Without the bridge or the other possible events happening, Wave would be doomed to recession. In order to protect my country from such a threat, I felt the need to expand my trading options, and usual clients who we could reach by sea. With the bridge now in use, we can reach other locations not even remotely close to the waters of the world, and expand our trade several times over," explained Maleficent calmly while she eyed the nobles on either side of the Fire Daimyo nodding since what she said was true.

"And yet in order to make your dream of securing such trade with these countries, you need _MY_ trading lanes in _MY_ country to make it happen," remarked the Fire Daimyo, as he wanted to make it clear to her that his country had quite the advantage here, and was going to use it to get what he wanted.

"Indeed. I have the resources your country would like and you have the roads needed to make trade happen between us and any other country with such goods. Equals in a sense of giving and taking from one another," replied Maleficent while the Fire Daimyo now frowned at this since she sadly had a point.

"Be as that may, I think using my trading lanes to reach future business partners requires my country get a substantial..._discount_ in terms of price," countered the Fire Daimyo with Maleficent frowning slightly at his greed though she did expect it all the same since this was a give and take base negotiations.

And this man clearly wanted to take a lot from her.

"And what would you prefer to be a substantial discount?" asked Maleficent while she casually saw the nobles eagerly awaiting the moment where she agreed to whatever the Fire Daimyo stated was a "fair" discount.

"I think a seventy five percent discount is fair," answered the Fire Daimyo while thinking the woman was too naive in the ways of economic and negotiations to handle him.

"Seventy five percent discount? Are you nuts?!" asked Tazuna knowing such a discount was outrageous in itself.

"No one asked you _commoner_," commented one noble with disdain.

"Yeah, well I don't need to ask for your _permission_ to speak you snooty two face noble! I built that bridge. I along with every hard working person in Wave poured all our efforts into making that bridge to make our country prosper. We did not build that bridge just so some nobles and Daimyo next door to us can set the rules for trading, and to get screwed over in selling goods at a low price that does more harm then good!" exclaimed Tazuna, as he knew enough about economics that if they sold exports to Fire Country first at such a discount, they would suffer right away because they would lose revenue from the sales of said products.

It would be cheaper to ship the cargo overseas and sold to a place that doesn't really need them sold!

"You are using _MY country's _trading lanes. _MY country _is your only access to the rest of the lands unreachable by sea. Without what I have, your bridge was just a waste of time, money, and resources on your end," remarked the Fire Daimyo smugly while his nobles did the same.

"I see," said Maleficent while eyeing the ball on her staff with an unreadable face.

"So you are in agreement with the terms for trade I have set for our two nations?" asked the Fire Daimyo while expecting a simple yes or nod from the woman.

"No," replied Maleficent while the smile on the Fire Daimyo and his nobles left them.

"No? How can you say no?!" demanded a noble on the far right of the Fire Daimyo.

"Tazuna, how long will it take to make _another _bridge. One possibly connecting all the way to _Hot Water_ Country this time?" asked Maleficent calmly while glancing over at the Master Bridge builder looked at her in shock before getting what she was implying.

It will take a bit longer then the one we just built given Hot Water Country is a tad farther away in terms of distance from us then Fire. But I'm sure we can manage it with enough time and effort. In fact, we would probably gain more profit over there then here given how Hot Water Country is a tourist place above all other given their many hot springs and other vacation based landmarks. We could easily regain _double_ what we would here in terms of trade and recoup our losses by the end of the year," commented Tazuna since Wave had been doing financially well when they built this bridge now connected to Fire Country and they had enough left to build one more if needed.

"What?! You would waste even more resources to build another bridge and do business with that other country over us?!" demanded an angry noble two seat to the left of the Fire Daimyo.

"Yes I would. While my people would be most upset that the building of our new bridge was sadly a waste of time, I will explain to them what was being offered at this table. How this country's Daimyo wished a steep discount on all goods sold here in exchange for using your trading lanes to reach others. A discount which we could not economically allow since it would mean you would gain everything from all the hard work its people have put into making such a grand structure," replied Maleficent calmly while she eyed the angry Fire Daimyo and his nobles with an annoyed look of her own.

"You are being unreasonable your Majesty," countered the Fire Daimyo with Maleficent eyeing him now with narrowed eyes.

"Would you be saying that if the roles were reversed?" asked Maleficent calmly with the Fire Daimyo making an annoyed face since he knew she was right.

If the roles _were_ reversed, the Fire Daimyo knew he would be spewing insults at her right about now, and leaving the meeting room without looking back.

"We are willing to give Fire Country a discount, but nothing so steep that you screw us over in making some kind of profit to regain revenue spent on the bridge's construction," added Tazuna since he wasn't against the idea of giving a discount, just the _size _of the discount, and the sheer fact the number offered percentage wise was insulting.

"Sixty percent discount," said a noble right next to the Fire Daimyo on the man's left.

"That's still too high! Twenty five percent is more then fair!" countered Tazuna with the Fire Daimyo frowning since he didn't like that at all.

"The percentage offered is too low and I refuse to negotiate with the commoner in your group no matter how prestige their talents are at something like bridge building," replied the Fire Daimyo while waving his fan in front of him.

Only to have it burst into green flames and nearly burn him too.

No one had seen the glowing fingertip of Maleficent's left hand's index finger glow due to the height of the table preventing it. Though the simple smirk on her face clearly showed she was indeed responsible, even if none of them could actually prove it.

"Be careful what you say about those with me your Majesty. I do not take too kindly to my subjects being mocked or ridiculed by those who think they are their betters," replied Maleficent to the still shocked Fire Daimyo and his little group of nobles sitting next to him on either side.

Before the Fire Daimyo could even consider a retort, his Guardian Twelve ninja protector Sarutobi Asuma leaned down, and whispered into his ear. The bearded Shinobi had just gotten a signal from his Father to inform the Feudal Lord of a few things and to have the man use it during the negotiations to leverage things their way. As for the Fire Daimyo himself, he listened intently to what Asuma had to say while glancing from Maleficent to Naruto, back to Maleficent again, her crow, the snake, and then back to Naruto again.

It made Maleficent noticeably frown at them before she glanced over to see the Sandaime Hokage sitting in a chair off to the side of the room.

'So the old Hokage over there is plotting and plans to use this against me to gain Naruto into his village's ranks. Never!' thought Maleficent, as she was not afraid to burn every single fool in this room into a big pile of ash.

"Before I even consider further negotiations with you Maleficent-sama, I need to ask you something important. Have you ever been to Fire Country? Namely Konoha?" asked the Fire Daimyo while being given another fan to use on his face by a servant.

"Me? In Konoha? No I don't think so. Near it perhaps, but I never actually set foot _IN_ the village itself," replied Maleficent since it was true she didn't set foot in Konoha all those years ago.

Technically, the Forest of Death wasn't even a recognized part of Konoha despite it being a training ground for the more experience Shinobi. In fact, being a training ground for them, and the second part of the Chuunin Exams when required was only a piece of it. The Forest of Death actually acted as a _line of defense_ from any invasion led by enemy Shinobi should they choose to invade Konoha. Since it was teeming with life of all kinds with most of it being not so friendly in the slightest, the Forest of Death had become the perfect defense against anyone unfamiliar with the entire territory of the training ground.

"I see. So you wouldn't be responsible for several kidnappings a little over five years ago around that time you were _near_ Konoha like you claim to be when it happened?" asked the Fire Daimyo with Maleficent blinking curiously at him before letting out a giggle of amusement before it became full blown laughter.

"Oh dear. This is highly amusing. To think the Fire Daimyo himself would accuse _ME_ of doing such a horrible thing to some unwilling person. I dare say you must be desperate to make such accusations without proof I am responsible for taking one yet alone several of Konoha's people against their will. Is this some ploy to convince me to agree to your terms for trading?" replied Maleficent while glancing at Naruto, who was glaring slightly at the Fire Daimyo before she put a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm the boy down.

No need to tip her hand just yet unless necessary.

"The proof of your actions is standing right next to you in the form of the boy sitting beside you," replied the Fire Daimyo while Naruto's eyes hardened further.

"The boy? My son?! Surely you jest?" questioned Maleficent in an amusing tone.

"Is it or is it not true that the boy currently sitting next to you is Uzumaki Naruto and that you _kidnapped_ him from Konoha over half a decade ago?" asked the Fire Daimyo in an accusing tone while glancing at Naruto with further interest.

"Should I reveal my face Kaa-san?" whispered Naruto with Maleficent glancing from the Fire Daimyo to Asuma, then to the Sandaime, and finally to Jiraiya in the back.

"In a moment," replied Maleficent in a whisper of her own.

"Well? Do you deny kidnapping the boy from his home?" asked the Fire Daimyo with a hint of impatience.

"No. I don't deny kidnapping him. Of course, it wasn't exactly a kidnapping since _MY_ _son_ came with me willingly. Right Naruto?" replied Maleficent with Naruto nodding before he removed his ninja head gear to reveal his blonde hair, blue eyed, and whisker marked face to the Fire Daimyo.

'He looks like a young version of Minato,' thought Jiraiya while Ma and Pa Toad were both thinking the same thing.

"I left with my Kaa-san of my own volition. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar!" stated Naruto while staring right in the eyes of Fire Daimyo.

"So you, a mere twelve-thirteen year old _boy_, are going to accuse the Sandaime Hokage of being a lair? To me?" asked the Fire Daimyo with Naruto glancing from him to the Sandaime now leaning forward and staring at the boy.

"If the sandal fits," remarked Naruto while he glared now at the Sandaime Hokage, who slowly stood from his seat, and his ANBU getting tense.

Jiraiya continued to watch with calculating eyes.

"This is a farce! Calling the Sandaime Hokage a liar to our faces. Clearly this _woman_ has him under some kind of spell. He should be removed immediately from her custody!" declared one noble while pointing at Maleficent.

"Call it what you will, I am not leaving my Kaa-san to go back to that Hellhole!" stated Naruto angrily while his right hand twitched to reach for the seal just below his wrist on his left arm to bring out Kubikiribocho to take their heads off.

Naruto may have been training in self discipline, but he was still a boy with a temper, and impulses to lash out at people who were insulting his Mother.

"Be careful what you say about _MY _Shinobi village boy. It is the most powerful among all the villages in existence," remarked the Fire Daimyo since he felt the insult to his Shinobi village was an insult to him by association.

"Regardless of how you feel about Konoha in general your Majesty, my son has made it clear to you he does not wish to return to the village, and as his Mother I am inclined to honor his decision," countered Maleficent while she saw the Fire Daimyo frown.

"Your claim to being his son is invalid on its face. You did not adopt him legally nor are you his actual Mother by blood. Any claim of being his Mother by either means is false," said the Sandaime Hokage while walking over to stand beside his sons currently standing behind the Fire Daimyo.

"It doesn't matter what you say regarding my connection to Naruto. From the time I met this wonderful child, I have raised him, nurtured him, and loved him as if he was my own son by blood. Which is more then I can say for how Konoha treated him for the first few years of his life and under _your_ very watch I might add Sarutobi Hiruzen. I wonder how your predecessors would react if they only knew how negligent you were with this one child," countered Maleficent with Hiruzen narrowing his eyes at her.

"And why does this one child from Konoha mean so much to you? Surely you could have found another and adopted him or her _legally_?" questioned the Fire Daimyo curiously, as he saw there was more here then originally suspected.

"This one child is special in more ways then one," replied Maleficent while she smiled at her surrogate child and he smiled up at her.

"Please explain" said the Fire Daimyo while the Hokage seemed nervous.

"You mean you don't know? Didn't your Hokage tell you? I would think he would since his presence here is clearly a ploy to twist my arm during the negotiations to get my son back in his village. A village that has seen fit to _beat_, _starve_, and _abuse_ this wonderful child for what he is and what he holds inside his body. Or did your oh so wise Hokage decide leave _that _specific part out too?" explained Maleficent with the Fire Daimyo now frowning and looking over at the Sandaime for answers.

"What is she talking about? What is so special about the boy that you didn't tell me? Was this boy abused in Konoha under your watch? Is what she said true Hiruzen?" asked the Fire Daimyo with Hiruzen looking nervous while seeing Maleficent smiling at him.

"Well? Go on Sandaime-sama. Tell him. Tell him and everyone else here how you let the son of your late successor the Yondaime Hokage suffer in a village that hates him for the Biju sealed inside his body," said Maleficent while Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, as did the Hokage's own at her words, and both gritted their teeth when she revealed that piece of information since few knew the truth behind the lie surrounding Naruto supposedly being in the village, but in a coma.

"What?! The Yondaime's son? You told me the boy was dead," said the Fire Daimyo in shock and anger at being lied to by the Hokage when he first asked the older man about the Yondaime's progeny following the Kyuubi's attack.

"I'm sorry Daimyo-sama, but it was done to protect the boy. His Father and _biological_ Mother had many enemies. They would have come for him day and night to end his life simply out of spite," replied Hiruzen while Maleficent's smile lessened upon hearing his answer.

"You are indeed right about one thing Sandaime-sama. His Father and Mother had many enemies, but not from outside of the village. He had them, but they were, and still are very much from _within_. Or do you think the various members on both of your Councils are immune to such accusations simply because they hold such stations and claim to be 'patriots' of your village?" countered Maleficent while the Hokage narrowed his eyes at her yet again in anger.

Only to feel a growing killer intent aimed at him by Naruto for it before Maleficent again put a loving hand on his shoulder.

"While it is true Naruto is a Jinchuriki, it does not mean he was abused like she claimed," replied Hiruzen with Naruto's killer intent returning two fold and the boy was reaching for something on his left arm.

"Naruto, calm yourself. Let him lie in front of his Daimyo. It will only make him look like an incompetent leader and a fool in the end," commanded Maleficent with Naruto slowly obeying and he bowed his head.

"Forgive me Mother. I did not like how he was lying and also calling you a liar in the process. It is insulting and I wished to defend your honor as both my Daimyo and my Mother," replied Naruto in a hushed tone while Maleficent looked at him with a loving and knowing smile.

"It is all right my dear child. You are very protective of me and I commend you for it. You are indeed everything a Mother could want for a son," commented Maleficent while she ran her hands through her surrogate son's hair and saw he was calmly down in the process.

"What did you mean by letting the Sandaime lie in front of me?" asked the Fire Daimyo curiously while finding this situation had changed drastically in front of him and it had made him look like a fool in front of the various nobles, samurai, and even Shinobi in the room.

"Rather then answer your question verbally, I think it would be best to show you actual physical proof of your Hokage's lie," replied Maleficent before she raised her left hand and with a mere gesture of her index finger a simple slip of paper with writing magically appeared in the air moving back and forth before Itachi in his crow form grabbed it with his beak.

And proceeded to fly across the table to land in front of the Fire Daimyo to place the paper in front of him before flying back to Maleficent's shoulder.

"What is this?" asked the Fire Daimyo while reading the contents and his eyes went wide before he glared at Hiruzen's now paling face.

'How did she get that?! That is suppose to be sealed up in the Hokage Vault!' thought Hiruzen while Asuma winced when he saw the document.

'Oh dad. You didn't,' thought Asuma knowing this would be bad.

"As you can clearly see your Majesty, Naruto's _birth certificate_ presently in your hands with the name of both parents on it, shows he is indeed the Yondaime Hokage's son, and his biological Mother is indeed an Uzumaki. Further down to the right, the seal on the birth certificate is the Sandaime Hokage's, _and _his signature to further enforce the claim of legitimacy to everything his family owns in Konoha," replied Maleficent while she saw Jiraiya on the sidelines glaring hatefully at her.

'Damn this blasted woman. She's not only making Konoha look bad, but also sensei, and if that weren't enough just about everyone who hates Minato along with Kushina will be out for blood against their son!' thought Jiraiya while feeling Ma and Pa Toad looking at him.

"You told us the tadpole died Jiraiya. You lied to us!" accused Ma with glaring eyes.

"It was to protect Naruto," whispered Jiraiya before he was smacked on the head.

"Don't you dare lie to us Jiraiya. We could have protected the boy. With a special seal on him binding the boy temporarily to the contract, he could be reversed summoned to us at the first sign of trouble, and even raised by us to learn different things Konoha would not in our place!" exclaimed Pa while Jiraiya frowned knowing the Toad was right, but still did not like hearing it all the same.

"He needed to form bonds with Konoha," countered Jiraiya, only to be smacked in the back of the head yet again by both Toads on his shoulders.

"You mean shackles! You know what the life of a Jinchuriki is like Jiraiya. Your own spy network has no doubt heard of the treatment the Jinchuriki from Suna went through. The two in Iwa. The Mizukage himself has gone psychotic and begun a genocide because his hatred is the hatred unleashed on him growing up and is returning it ten fold!" exclaimed Pa while Jiraiya kept quiet about the matter.

"Anything more you wish to add?" asked Maleficent while the Fire Daimyo put down the document and slid it away from him to the nearest noble to read.

"That doesn't explain your claim Konoha abused the boy," said the Fire Daimyo calmly, but _internally _his faith in Konoha, and in the Sandaime Hokage had been shaken.

If they lied to him about the Yondaime's son being alive...was the claim of abuse true as well?

"True indeed. My apologizes your Majesty. I simply wanted to prepare you and everyone here with some light reading material before showing you what was to come following that little show of what I can bring to this table," replied Maleficent before another wave of her hand and a large stack of folders suddenly appeared in midair and fell onto the table.

Followed by another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

"What is all of this?" asked the Fire Daimyo while his nobles around him couldn't find the words to suggest anything from what they seeing.

"My proof. Unquestionable proof about what I claim is true and what Konoha denies is false about Naruto's _alleged_ abuse. I think you will find Konoha is not the great village your Hokage has led you to believe," said Maleficent, as she magically sent each folder to the Fire Daimyo, and the nobles for them to read.

"This is the boy's medical file!" exclaimed one noble since he saw medical reports in here and was shocked by some of the abuse the boy went through during his younger years.

"Yes. The doctors treating my son at Konoha's hospital did barely average work to fix all of the damage done to his body, but ironically enough it was the Biju inside of him that did all the hard work. Fortunately, I have been able to use my own unique power to fully revitalize the damaged parts even the Kyuubi could heal properly, and he is now in peak physical condition for a boy his age," declared Maleficent, as she had used a combination of her magic, and the Kyuubi's demonic chakra to properly heal the boy in certain muscle and ligament related areas where the fox had been unable to heal properly.

The Biju could only do so much with what the seal binding it to Naruto allowed.

"How can a child take so much abuse? How could the Hokage not do anything about it?" asked one noble from before while reading one medical incident after another.

"How indeed," remarked Maleficent while Hiruzen kept quiet though he was not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"The boy is a citizen of Konoha regardless of your..._intervention_ on his behalf. You still kidnapped him. While you cannot be prosecuted due to your diplomatic immunity as a Daimyo, Naruto is not bound to it, and must come back to Konoha with me," stated the Sandaime firmly while Maleficent's eyes narrowed.

"Back to Konoha? With you? Where he will be subjugated to more of the village's abuse under your watch? To suffer both mentally and physically? To no doubt have his strength and memories sealed away so he can be 'reeducated' into being the way you want him?" questioned Maleficent seeing the Sandaime glance at Naruto and then to Jiraiya.

'I was afraid of this. She somehow managed to turn this against us while at best we have her on kidnapping the boy from Konoha. But that is the only aspect she is a criminal. The reason behind it will make her look like an angel of mercy saving a boy from an abusive place and make Konoha look like the villain here,' thought Hiruzen while glaring at the woman.

"I will take your silence as a yes. Regardless, I am not relinquishing my son to you or to Konoha. Under my care and guidance, my surrogate son has become strong physically as well as mentally. Compared to Konoha, which has constantly abused the boy time after time, and keeping his education _below_ anything a child should have at the age of six, who do you really think is suitable in raising Naruto?" continued Maleficent with Hiruzen now having a strong urge to kill this woman right there on the spot.

"Dad, let it go for now. We've lost here. Talk about Itachi and Anko," suggested Asuma in a whispered tone to his Father.

"The boy will be loved in Konoha. The people have changed since he has been gone," said the Sandaime while ignoring his son.

"Really? And if I were to show you and your Daimyo otherwise?" asked Maleficent while Hiruzen remained quiet for a second.

"You can do that?" asked the Fire Daimyo with Maleficent smiling.

"Of course. Like summoning my son's birth certificate or copy after copy of his medical file for all of you to view to your heart's content," replied Maleficent with the orb on her staff glowing slightly.

"Your Majesty, I don't think now is the time for this," offered the Sandaime, but was given a glare by the Fire Daimyo.

"I listened to you once before Hiruzen. You said that this would be an easy and profitable negotiation between our two nations. Any and all additional terms would be accepted without resistance. _You_ _lied to me_ about the boy! You said he was a simply citizen of Konoha taken from your village! Only to find out he is the son of Konoha's two greatest ninjas of their generation and was _abused_! ABUSED! Mentally and physically under your watch. Did you even _punish_ those that hurt him? Did you Hiruzen?!" questioned the Fire Daimyo with the Sandaime being quiet.

"I couldn't. Evidence and witnesses went missing or refused to give statements," replied the Sandaime while Asuma frowned since he had an idea on how that happened and it seemed everyone else did too.

"I wonder why?" commented Maleficent dryly since she sent the people across the table a knowing look that said ninja were involved in preventing her son's attackers from being properly punished.

"Regardless, there are those in Konoha who are ready to adopt, and raise the boy properly in becoming a ninja of the village," offered Hiruzen in another attempt to regain control of the situation.

"You mean Jiraiya of the Sannin over there? The boy's appointed _Godfather_? The one his parents entrusted to him upon their deaths to raise?" asked and countered Maleficent with everyone on the opposite end of her gasping at this news.

'How did she know that?! The only people who know that are sensei, myself, Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, and Shizune!' thought Jiraiya while he saw the woman looking quite pleased with herself.

"And how did you come across such classified information?" demanded Hiruzen while he saw Maleficent smiling deviously at him.

"Oh, I have my ways Sandaime-sama. As for raising Naruto, I have done far more for the boy then you, or Konoha for that matter in terms of caring for him," replied Maleficent while Hiruzen glared at her.

"Regardless, we will be taking the boy now. You have no legal standing in having him in your care," stated the Sandaime with Maleficent smiling further at him.

"Really? No legal standing? And you do? I wonder what people in Fire Country, my own country, and other countries with their Daimyos would react to hearing about this? How you are trying to pressure this boy into returning to an abusive village? Think of how the different nobles and other influential people will look at Fire Country? At Konoha? Think of the _scandal_ it would bring?" questioned Maleficent while glancing at the Fire Daimyo and his nobles currently paling at the thought of this getting out.

"By Kami she's right. If this ever got out...our standing with the rest of the world would simply plummet. It would take years, maybe even _decades_ to remove such a scandal from us. Any attempt at future trade agreements or negotiations with other countries, Daimyos, or nobles would be hampered by this. It would constantly be brought up and we would have to explain why it happened. Our inability to properly answer on our end of things would make negotiations practically impossible!" stated one noble fearfully.

"Yes it would. Of course, it wouldn't have to get out..._IF_ you agree to _MY _terms," said Maleficent while the Fire Daimyo and his nobles looked nervous while slowly nodding to the idea.

"What _are _your terms?" asked the Fire Daimyo curiously.

"Your Majesty, there is one other issue I feel you should know about before we continue with this," said Hiruzen in an attempt to counter this woman's seemingly unbreakable stranglehold on this situation.

"Be silent! You've done enough Hiruzen. You're lucky I don't strip you of your position as Hokage right now!" stated the Fire Daimyo knowing it was within his right.

"My terms are simple yet fair. Now I'm not a cruel or vindictive woman by nature so the deal regarding discounts on Wave Country's goods being sold here will not be removed from the table. After all, it would look bad on my part to be spiteful in its entirety if I were to hurt all of Fire Country simply to target one Shinobi village, and the country's Daimyo. As things stand, in exchange for letting us use Fire Country's key trading lanes, I am willing to give you a locked discount rate on all traded good up to fifteen percent for the next...five years," replied Maleficent with the Fire Daimyo looking like swallowed snake poison.

"Fifteen percent? What happened to the previous twenty five percent?" asked a noble to the Fire Daimyo's right.

"That was before when we were dealing with the simple fact that your side wished for a discount beyond what we wished to give. You will take what is offered here or I will see to it that every country, noble, and influential individual in the entire world knows of the crimes committed against my son. And speaking of my precious child here, you will have Jiraiya of the Sannin officially _relinquish_ his title as Naruto's Godfather. Jiraiya will also forfeit any and all legal rights in claiming guardianship over my son. The same must be said with regards to Konoha claiming any and all right to him as their Jinchuriki. He can come to Konoha if he chooses at anytime to claim his inheritance that was left behind by his parents, but they can never force him to stay there against his will. Not only that, but you will hereby acknowledge my adoption of Naruto to be completely legitimate in every sense of the word," replied Maleficent with Hiruzen and Jiraiya looked liked they were each ready to have multiple heart attacks.

"Is that all?" asked the Fire Daimyo while hoping it was.

"Almost. You must also ensure that any and all scattered members of the Uzumaki Clan found be reported to and brought before me. Upon confirming they are indeed Uzumaki by blood by my own tests, I am willing to pay Fire Country a considerable sum for their efforts as a continued show of strong ties between our nations. _However_, should you try to deceive me with false individuals, I will _demand_ a hefty financial sum as punishment for such a deception on your part," replied Maleficent with her eyes becoming cold at the end.

"What? No! You have no right or claim to the Uzumaki Clan or any of its members!" protested Hiruzen, only to be silenced in any further protest when Maleficent suddenly rose from her seat, and unleashing a wave of power of ethereal flame from her body that lit up the entire room.

Only Tazuna seemed freaked out for a second before realizing it wouldn't harm him.

_**"Do not speak to me about what is mine by right or not mine to claim in this world you wretched old fool of a Kage! You are in no position to protest anything from me or to demand anything from my son! You would see to it that he learned little to nothing in your village while demanding everything from him! If you so much as try to take or harm my son in anyway, I will bring about a fury and darkness that no mortal man has ever witnessed!"**_ bellowed Maleficent angrily while many around her were shocked and frightened by this woman.

"What about my son?! Give him back to me?!" demanded Mikoto with her mask off and revealing her identity to Maleficent.

She wanted her son back.

_**"So you are Itachi's Mother. I can see in your eyes you love your son just as much as I love Naruto,"**_ remarked Maleficent while Mikoto nodded while looking from the dark witch to her son in crow form on her shoulder.

"Please give him back to me. To the clan. I love my son. Please I beg of you. From one Mother to the next I beg you. Give him back to me!" pleaded Mikoto while she saw the former Fairy Queen look from her to Itachi and gave a small nod to him before he flew off her shoulder and changed into a man right in front of his Mother.

"Hello Kaa-san," replied Itachi calmly while Mikoto now began to cry and hugged her son tightly in fear he would disappear.

"Itachi-kun. My son. You can come back with me to Konoha. Your Father and clan miss you so much," whispered Mikoto while Itachi shook his head and managed to slip from his now surprised Mother's grasp.

"I cannot go back," replied Itachi to the shock and slight horror of his Mother.

"What? Why? Maleficent freed you from her control...right?" asked Mikoto before she glanced at Maleficent watching everything going on in her ethereal form covering most of the room.

"Yes and no. In a sense I am free to move around as a I wish, yet I am still bound to serve her as any servant does their Master. At first, I was turned into a servant, held against my will, and made to serve Maleficent in any way she saw fit. However, the things I have seen, heard, and learned since being her servant has...shaken my faith in Konoha. Shaken my faith in the clan," replied Itachi while Mikoto looked shocked by this.

"What did you learn? What are you saying? Is she making you act like this?" demanded Mikoto with Itachi shaking his head.

"No. My mind is my own. I am not some mindless puppet that moves when she plucks the strings. I can speak my mind and offer my opinion on matters ninja related. The same can be said for Mitarashi Anko, as she is in the same position as myself. As for what I have learned...I know about Sasuke and his mood toward me. I have seen the madness in his eyes. The darkness burning within them. I know of the Uchiha Clan and their own form of restlessness. I know about Konoha _celebrating_ Naruto's kidnapping when word got out about all three of us missing and celebrating again when they heard he was in a coma from the story the Sandaime created. I know the Hokage did it to keep the Councils from demanding for the boy's capture to be brought back on charges of desertion and while I am happy he did it...I do not agree with the end result of his reasons. I cannot go back to Konoha and continue to serve the Sandaime as a ninja of Konoha. I cannot go back to the Uchiha Clan knowing it is falling slowly into madness. All I have left is my principles and my integrity Mother. I serve Maleficent-sama with a purpose beyond one of selfish desires. Even if I was not bound to her my the power she wields, I would still serve Maleficent willingly, and faithfully as her loyal subordinate," answered Itachi, as he kissed his Mother's head, and walked backwards away from the woman before turning into a crow that flew back to Maleficent's shoulders.

"You have no right to claim those two as your own!" protested the Sandaime at last while Maleficent glowered at the Hokage while her fire burned seemed to grow around.

_**"Be silent old fool. I will not repeat myself again!"**_commanded Maleficent, as she sent the Hokage flying back with her left hand pointed at him, and watched his body hit the wall hard.

"Sensei!" exclaimed Jiraiya angrily before he tried to attack Maleficent, as did most of the ANBU, but were frozen in place Maleficent using her staff, and then violently thrown against the same wall she threw the Hokage.

_**"I have had my fill of idiotic Shinobi for one day,"**_ commented Maleficent before she glanced at Mikoto and then back to the Fire Daimyo's still pale face.

"I...humbly accept your terms...Queen Maleficent," said the Fire Daimyo with Maleficent nodding while her power receded back into her body.

"Good. I am pleased with this new. Also, I wish for Konoha to keep both Uchiha Itachi, and Mitarashi Anko out of the Bingo Book that all ninja use. They are not to be labeled as Missing Nin. The last thing I want is for every village to send their ninja after them for a bounty Konoha might want to place on their heads," replied Maleficent with the Fire Daimyo nodding before the contract stating all the terms the dark witch stated were on the papers for him to sign.

And sign the document he did with his seal on the trade agreement to make everything contractually binding and official on every level.

"Done," said the Fire Daimyo with the woman smiling before she signed it with her own magical signature and seal as well.

"Thank you. And just because I am feeling generous, I have increased the discount of all goods sold to Fire Country to be locked in at a solid twenty percent for the previous stated amount of time of five years," said Maleficent, as she got what she wanted, and discounts of twenty percent of good wouldn't hamper Wave Country too much.

They could easily make up for it in the long run with other countries doing business with them.

"Thank you for your generosity Maleficent-sama," said the Fire Daimyo while Maleficent nodded and motioned for her group to follow her out.

"Naruto wait!" exclaimed the Sandaime while struggling to stand.

"What is it? I have things to do," questioned Naruto with a small glance back at the old man.

"If you do come to Konoha...don't hate the people in it. Not all of them hate you. I was speaking the truth when I said there are people in it who do care for your well being," said Hiruzen while Naruto frowned further at him.

"Perhaps there are and perhaps there are not people in it who care about me. However, the fact remains those people are in the minority, and you have done _nothing_ to change it. As far as I am concerned, Wave Country is my home, and its people are the ones I will protect with all my power. If you send any ninja after to me for the sake of turning my person into a way and slave...I will destroy them," replied Naruto before he left with his Mother, who put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and the group left with their samurai escort.

All of which were in awe of the woman and her seemingly supernatural power.

"You did well my son. Though now that you are now revealed to the world, I fear your training will have to be increased twice if not three times what it once was before," said Maleficent while Naruto nodded before putting on his ninja headgear.

"I understand Mother. Rest assured I will not let anything happen to me that would cause you pain," replied Naruto while Maleficent smiled at him.

"There may come a time when you have to fight for someone other then myself Naruto. I may not always be around," remarked Maleficent since she knew that there was always a chance, no matter how low it was of someone defeating, or even killing her in battle.

Such a thing would devastate her son and Maleficent wanted to ensure that in the event of such a thing did happen, Naruto would be able to move on, and find those who would be able to support him in his time of need. Hence the gathering of friends, family, and other allies who would could be trusted to carry on such a task for her.

"Perhaps, but I am going to make sure that such a day is not for a long long time," replied Naruto while Maleficent held him close to continue comforting the boy.

"Me too my son. Me too," whispered Maleficent while she looked back and saw Hiruzen was hardly happy with this situation and it was clear he planned to do something about it in the future.

Spiteful men with a hunger for power, even if they didn't know it was that was driving him, and losing were always plotting. She would have to ensure such scheme never succeeded and her son was well protected in the event someone tried anything. Konoha would be one of the main threats to her son in the future despite the Fire Daimyo's future decree. While it was part of a binding contract between two nations, it didn't mean the ninja of Konoha wouldn't try to use deception, and other various tactics to keep her son against his will in the village while denying the whole thing until they got what they wanted from him.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the thought of such a thing happening. She would not allow these fools from Konoha or any other ninja village to snatch up her son while claiming deniability. Oh no! She would make an example out of those that tried and those that did try would rue the day they challenged her power _AND_ her son.

(Guest Room in the Fire Daimyo's Castle-Hours Later)

The Fire Daimyo had not been happy. Once his guests from Wave Country were gone, he made his anger known to his ninja, and clearly wasn't happy with the lies told to him. The Feudal Lord ordered them to their guest room assigned to them and that they would leave for Konoha tomorrow. The very presence of them made the man sick and could not stand the sight of Konoha Shinobi being in his castle for more then the rest of this day.

"This is bad sensei. That woman's power was..._unimaginable_. I've never felt anything like that before in my life. She makes us all look like children by comparison!" stated Jiraiya, as he thought she was powerful before in her calm dignified state, but it was _nothing_ to the amount of power he felt when she was upset by the Sandaime insulting her, and was claiming she couldn't call Naruto her son.

Not something you do to a woman with strong maternal instincts.

"Indeed. Her power is unquestionably _Godly_. All the more reason to get Naruto away from her. She is influencing him in a manner that make the boy hate Konoha," replied Hiruzen while the ANBU in the room were shaken by this.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, you didn't exactly give the poor boy a reason to stay in Konoha when he was first offered an alternative to living there," remarked Mikoto while she saw Jiraiya and Hiruzen glaring at her.

"The village is his home no matter what Mikoto. He is obligated to defend it and protect it regardless if Konoha liked him or not!" stated Hiruzen passionately while Mikoto just shook her head.

"Do you even hear yourself Hokage-sama? You sound like Naruto should defend Konoha regardless if they beat him or not. That it doesn't matter if they burn, stab, poison, beat, or overall abuse him in every sense of the word so long as he fights for Konoha without any thoughts to the contrary. I don't think that is what his parents wanted and you know it!" said Mikoto, as she was still upset that Itachi was serving Maleficent, but was happy to know he wasn't the mindless slave she feared him to be when seeing his face again.

He had become so handsome since she last saw him. Mikoto just hoped that Maleficent wasn't against her son finding that special woman in his life.

"His parents are dead. They entrusted Naruto to Jiraiya and myself. I won't allow this woman interfere in my mission in raising Naruto," said Hiruzen while Mikoto looked at him in disappointment.

"You cannot win against her Hokage-sama. She is too powerful," remarked Mikoto with the ANBU in the room nodding their heads in agreement.

While they would follow their Hokage, they weren't afraid to let him know they did not agree with his plan to challenge Maleficent.

"There is a way. This woman has no problem playing in the realm of politics and neither do I. So we issue a challenge of sorts. We will request Naruto participate in the Chuunin Exams happening in the coming months under the disguise that it will help promote trade faster when people see her _son_ compete in an exhibition. We will make it seem like such an act will not only increase trade for her country, but show just what a great _parent_ she has become in raising him," replied Hiruzen with Mikoto shaking her head.

"This woman isn't stupid. Nor is she arrogant in believing what happened here today will work in keeping Konoha away from Naruto in the slightest Hokage-sama. She will know something is up and will refuse. She gains everything simply by waiting. Besides, who would you have Naruto challenge in such a match?" said Mikoto, as she saw the Hokage looking at Jiraiya who nodded since he knew who the boy should fight.

"Hatake Kakashi. What better way for Naruto to show off his potential then against his Father's last remaining student. Maleficent might see through the ploy, the boy will not, and use the concept of proving the woman is a good Mother to him by making sure he was trained to fight against strong opponents. If he agrees to it, Maleficent will too, and we can make stipulations that will bring Naruto to us in the end when Kakashi wins," said Jiraiya knowing Kakashi was one of the best Jounin around and could win against the boy.

"You mean _IF_ Kakashi wins and that is assume Maleficent agrees to the match since she ultimately has the final say in whether such an exhibition even happens. You're forgetting Naruto has been trained by two clearly Jounin level ninja. My son was a former ANBU and so was Anko during her short time in it. If I were Maleficent, I would have those two train him into the ground so nothing short of a Kage could stand toe to toe against the boy," remarked Mikoto since she would have done the same for Itachi if she were in Maleficent's sandals right now.

If the woman even wore sandals. That long flowing dress made it impossible to see what kind of footwear Maleficent had.

"Enough! We still need to plan this out carefully. The Chuunin Exams are still only a few months away so we can let things cool down between us and her. When the time is right Jiraiya, I want you to approach Maleficent with the offer, and what convince her the risk is outweighed by the reward. Everyone here will keep what they know to themselves and are not to tell anyone back in Konoha what happened. This is S-ranked secret and any form of disclosure will result in your death and the ones you told," commanded Hiruzen with everyone nodding.

'This will end badly. Konoha is going down a dark path. The Uchiha Clan included. My son has a dark crazy look in his eyes and my husband is nurturing it. What do I do? The only one in the Uchiha Clan currently safe from everything happening in Konoha is my son! But that won't last long. Not if Fugaku has anything to say about it and the Hokage just forbid me from telling what we witnessed here. Not that it matters. Even if I were able to explain things to them, it would just throw the clan into a frenzy, demanding more from Konoha, and from the Hokage in getting justice for their kidnapped clan member. It could reignite the tension between the clan and the village with more problems rising up in the process. So what do I do?' thought Mikoto while frowning at her lack of options on how to deal with what she knew was going to happen once back in Konoha.

"What about the Councils and Clan Heads sensei? They will want answers," said Jiraiya while reminding Hiruzen that while he swore his student and the ANBU here to secrecy, it was needed for him to disclose what happened to the others at a meeting once they all returned.

"The same will apply to them once we are done explaining things to them. With any luck, this incident will be kept under wraps without anyone truly knowing what happened here today," said Hiruzen while Mikoto rolled her eyes at the idea of something like what they witnessed not being heard through rumors and whispers.

Sensitive information always found a way of being leaked. Mikoto knew something like this was one of those times when it would no matter how hard you tried to keep a lid on it.

(A/N: YAY! A nice long chapter for you guys to enjoy that is my holiday gift covering both Christmas and New Years since I will be too busy spending time with family and opening Christmas gifts as well as celebrating the New Year of 2015 to write for a little while. So please enjoy this latest chapter. Until next time...PEACE!)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-Backlash

(A/N:PSN has been down the past few days as I'm sure some of you know so I went to work on this ahead of schedule. I planned to take a two week break covering Christmas and New Years, but things changed. Anyway, here is my gift to you as both a Christmas, and New Year gift. Enjoy!)

The trip back to Wave was uneventful. As expected since Maleficent knew full well the Hokage along with his band of ninja wouldn't dare try anything while she was returning to her nation. Beside her, Naruto stared out of the window, a serious look on his face, and his mind no doubt thinking about what happened with the Sandaime Hokage before their departure. It was clear to Maleficent that the old Hokage had left a significant impact on the boy's mind, as strong as it was, and trying to make Naruto consider reconnecting with Konoha.

If she had her way, the dark witch would ensure such a reconnection resulted in Konoha suffering a major crisis through Naruto taking just about everything not nailed down out of the village. Scrolls, weapons, knowledge of all kinds now belonging to Naruto through what his late parents had gathered over the years would be removed from Konoha's walls back to Wave Country.

'My son will have his family. The Uzumaki Clan will rise again and be a major part of Wave,' thought Maleficent before she sensed something was wrong when getting to her nation.

"Maleficent-sama! Maleficent-sama!" cried out one samurai who looked mangled when she got out of the carriage to assess why such a sensation of death was coming out of her country.

"What is it? What happened?" demanded Maleficent while the samurai bowed humbly to her despite his wounds.

"We were attacked while you were away. A single boy with the marking of a ninja from Suna. He had red hair, a large gourd filled with sand, and a kanji for love tattooed on his forehead. We tried to get him to leave, but...the sand in his gourd came out, almost like it was alive, and ripped through my unit. He's terrorizing the general populace as we speak your Majesty! I suspect the boy is Suna's feared Jinchuriki!" replied the samurai before he found his wounds healing thanks to Maleficent's power.

"It seems the Kazekage did not take my threat seriously. Or he did and has decided to counter with one of his own. The wretched fool will suffer for this action," remarked Maleficent before she looked in the direction where Gaara was attacking.

"Please leave your Majesty. We cannot risk you being put in unnecessary danger," said the samurai while knowing his duty was to this Daimyo and to protect her from such a threat.

"While I appreciate your concern for my welfare young samurai, I am far from helpless, and I have no intention of running from this threat like a helpless woman. I am hardly a stranger to threats to my person," said Maleficent before turning to her son and gave him a nod.

"Haku come with me," ordered Naruto before he and the masked girl nodded with the two heading out toward Gaara's location.

"Take what is left of your unit and this group here with me to secure the area where this Jinchuriki is attack. Get as many people away from there as possible. Your duty now is to protect the citizens of Wave. Don't worry about my protection. I have more then enough here with me. Tazuna, you can return home to your family. They should be safe where they are, but keep them at home until otherwise told," commanded Maleficent with the group of samurai looking at each other for a second before bowing and doing as ordered.

Most had seen her power earlier. She was not some maiden who needed to be protected if making the legendary Sandaime Hokage get thrown around like a helpless child.

As for Tazuna, he simply nodded at her command, and took off to find his family before they ended up walking into a warzone.

"Do you want us to assist Naruto at all Maleficent-sama?" asked Itachi after transforming back into his human form.

"No. Haku is with him. I trust my son to win against this Jinchuriki. He needs to be in a situation where neither you, Anko, or even myself will be able to support him," replied Maleficent with Itachi nodding.

"All the same Maleficent-sama, I feel one of us should at least be close by. Just in case," said Anko with Maleficent thought it over in her mind.

"Very well. You can be near the fighting, but remain hidden and do not intervene unless absolutely necessary," commanded Maleficent with Anko nodding before she went to follow her Master's surrogate son.

"The Kazekage has overstepped his bounds Mistress. Do you wish me to...handle him?" asked Itachi with Maleficent shaking her head no.

"No. His time will come. But only _after_ we handle his tortured son. As for dealing with the man when this is over..._I_ will deal with the Kazekage _myself_!" replied Maleficent in a cold and chilling tone that made Itachi shiver slightly in fear.

'Hell have no fury like a woman scorned. Whoever thought that little line up clearly saw or experienced it first hand. Considering the accuracy of the statement, I'm inclined to think the latter,' thought Itachi while following his Mistress as they headed for the castle.

They could watch the fighting from there.

(With Naruto and Haku)

"The manipulation of sand is impressive," remarked Haku with Naruto nodding.

"Impressive, but not still wild like an animal. He's not in full control like we are being led to believe. Look at the insanity. Look at the madness. His strength lies is in his rage. Not control," remarked Naruto with Haku nodding.

"How do you wish to proceed?" asked Haku with Naruto narrowing his eyes at the scene of Gaara using his sand to crush anything that crossed his line of sight.

"All of his strength is in using the sand from that gourd, right? Take away the strength in using his sand and he is a helpless child," replied Naruto with a smirk.

"How?" asked Haku with Naruto looking at her for a second.

"Simple. Water and lots of it. When I give the word, hit him with all the needles you can launch with your bloodline," answered Naruto before he descended from his hiding spot and got Gaara's attention.

"You are the one of those I seek. The son of the Daimyo of Wave. Your Mother insulted my Kazekage. While I do not care for the man, he has promised me your blood, and the blood of your Mother. I will feed such blood to my Mother rumbling deep inside of me," remarked Gaara with his bloodlust driving him further into insanity.

"Idiot," remarked Naruto while going through hand signs and creating a spiral of water from the moisture in the area around him not unlike Senju Tobirama did in his prime when water was scarce in using.

The Uzumaki Clan were actually the first to theorize such a method of using Water Jutsus in such a manner was possible. They had studied different aspects of nature to a degree that would have actually made Orochimaru green with envy. It was first done for the purpose of survival in harsh environments like a desert and the need for water was high with no oasis around for miles. Tobirama was given such information by Mito after she married Hashirama year later. Tobirama had taken the idea with her help of using Water Jutsus using the moisture in the environment to form water in some form to use either for war or to survive a form of terrain where water was scarce.

What Naruto was doing was the same thing, yet making it known this was an Uzumaki version of it with the spiral forming with the Jutsu.

"No Jutsu you have can hurt me!" stated Gaara while sending his sand toward Naruto.

"Uzumaki Style: Multi Spiral Water Bullets Jutsu!" exclaimed Naruto, as the large spiral of water shifted into small spirals until they formed water bullets and were fired rapidly at Gaara.

The Suna ninja's sand became a shield instantly on reaction and the boy grinned at his opponent's foolishness in using such a weak Jutsu against him. The bombardment went on for at least five minutes straight before things went quiet. The grin on Gaara's face increased as, he commanded his sand to unleash itself on Naruto, and put an end to this match with the blonde's blood being offered to his "Mother" in his head. However, the grin soon left when the command issued to the sand to move was obeyed at a slower rate and made Gaara frown in confusion. Why was his sand moving slowly? Why was it now moving like sludge? What was going on?!

'Something is wrong. My sand won't move at its usual speed. When I tell it to move, it does not act normal, but rather slow, and sluggish,' thought Gaara while narrowing his eyes at his sand before it widened in realization.

"Finally realized it? I'm guessing you never went to a beach and played with the sand there? Or possibly built sand castles while watching the waves of water crash into it? I'm surprised no one has ever hit you with a Water Jutsu until now," asked Naruto while dry sand shot out of the gourd and tried to attack him.

"You covered my sand in water to reduce its speed," deduced Gaara while seeing Naruto nod while dodging his attacks.

"Of course! Sand when soaked with water becomes soggy. Clumpish goo that is basically sludge without the stink. All I have to do is drown you in water," replied Naruto before he went through hand signs again and this time launched a Water Dragon at Gaara.

Scowling further, Gaara raised a wall of sand to defend himself, and like before with the previous attack it was soaked heavily in the liquid. The once dry sand that could move at impressive speed and crush its enemies just as fast was reduced to soaked and slow globs of wet sand you normally see at the beach. But Naruto didn't stop with one Water Dragon since he knew it wasn't nearly enough to stop Gaara's sand and when considering the red haired boy's gourd was filled with an almost unlimited supply of the dirt like substance, it would be foolish to think otherwise.

"You will die!" stated Gaara, as he launched his sand at the water bombarding him, and focusing on moving the soaked earthly substance slowly against the water.

And making it go slower and slower by the second.

"Foolish boy. For all your so called 'mastery' of sand, you still wield it like a child does a new toy! Your Father was fool to seal a Biju inside of you and even more so to give your body such a faulty seal to hold Shukaku in the first place," remarked Naruto with traces of Zabuza's own personality coming into play and the blonde had a feeling that his words were something the Demon of the Mist would have said if he were here.

"Shut up! I don't need to be lectured by a weakling like you!" exclaimed Gaara angrily, as he was not only insulted in being called weak by Naruto, but his Father as well, and while the red haired boy cared little for the Kazekage in terms of parental figure, he still felt the Uzumaki in front of him had no right to talk.

"If I am so weak, why haven't you killed me yet?" questioned Naruto while continuing his bombardment of water on Gaara's sand, as it forced his enemy's advancement with the substance to stop, and eventually be pushed back with each devastating hit.

"Shut up!" exclaimed Gaara in frustration, as he saw his sand was leaking water like an overloaded sponge, and looking ready to fall apart if things continued the way they were going.

"Not yet. The only way you will truly understand how weak your level of power truly is without the sand to aid in your defense...is to break your defense before breaking _you_!" stated Naruto before calling on his large reserves of chakra to constantly keep up the seemingly never ending flow of water from the environment around him.

'Amazing. How much chakra does Naruto-sama have? I have never seen him use so much before since coming into his service,' thought Haku while seeing the ground around them was flooded with water, but knew the time to strike Gaara with her bloodline wasn't right.

It was close, but not close enough.

(Konoha-At the Moment)

"You lied to us Hokage-sama," remarked Homura in a disapproving tone while Koharu and Danzo did the same in terms of their facial expressions while most of the Clan Heads watched on with the Civilian Council looking ready to explode in their own fit of rage.

"It was a necessary lie. The populace as a whole would have been in an uproar we could not hope to quell and our enemies outside Konoha would have rallied once their spies were able to find out the truth," replied Hiruzen while divulging what happened at the Fire Daimyo's castle during the trade negotiations with Maleficent.

He told them everything that happened. Told them about how Maleficent handled the Fire Daimyo and his nobles with expert efficiency. How she openly admitted to kidnapping Naruto, which caused him to admit to the lie he had told years ago and explaining further that the horned dressed in black woman had adopted the boy in the process. For what reason she did not say, but also revealed Itachi was indeed taken into her service, and so had Mitarashi Anko.

The end result of informing them was less then encouraging.

"Perhaps, but you should have told the Clan Heads if not _us_ your _Shinobi_ Council the truth in secret. We could have assisted in the plan to recapture all three of them rather then believe a lie where it is two kidnapped and our one Jinchuriki in a coma," remarked Danzo though he decided to leave out how Hiruzen's actions would have been similar to his own.

With the exception of sending wave after wave of Root to infiltrate and destroy Wave during that time rather then wait for politics to _theoretically_ work.

"Regardless, the Fire Daimyo has agreed to the terms. Terms that are binding and any actions by us to go against them would be considered an act of treason against him at the very least and an act of war against Wave at most. A war, which we would be considered in the wrong, and no one would support us I might add," replied Hiruzen while he along with Jiraiya and the ANBU with them to give a supportive detailed description of this woman's power.

"This woman is using our Jinchuriki for her own use. It won't be long before she has him attack us for the past actions this village did to our weapon. We must strike while we have the chance," remarked Danzo with the Civilian Council nodding in full agreement while Hiruzen's teammates were favoring the idea if their facial features were anything to go by.

"And risk a war with another country? Kumo or Iwa could use this to gain favor with Wave Country," remarked Hiashi while he was thinking Kumo would be the first to jump into the fight if it meant possibly getting their hands on the Byakugan during the battles that would occur.

"Iwa would wish the Jinchuriki dead just for being the Yondaime's son. The Sandaime Tsuchikage would sooner side with us if it meant his forces could get a shot at killing the demon container. Naturally, he would fail since we would bring our lost weapon back for proper reeducation in serving Konoha properly," remarked Koharu while the Clan Heads, the exception being the Uchiha Clan Head, were glaring at her, and clearly disliking the fact she was being a disrespectful old prune for not calling Naruto by his name.

"Not only that, but Kumo would sooner target the Uzumaki brat for the Biju he holds, and his Uzumaki bloodline he got from Kushina. They will see Wave Country as a far easier target to fight and win against in the long run," added Homura while not caring for the late Yondaime, his wife, or his son since he felt the family as a whole would and could have been used as weapons of war had the parents lived.

"You didn't see what I did. What sensei saw in that room. Maleficent's power is...unreal. She doesn't need an army to defeat us in a war. She _IS_ the army. Add Naruto to the mix if he is being trained to fight, which I got the impression was happening from his attire, it would be one costly victory," said Jiraiya since he saw his Godson had indeed changed from the picture Hiruzen had of him years ago.

"So what do we do? Let her raise the demon? Have him grow strong and come after us when he is ready?" questioned a Civilian Council member.

"No. There is a way. We just need to play our parts well," explained Hiruzen before he told them what the plan was and to get Naruto to stay in Konoha.

"As cunning as this plan is my old friend, this woman has no reason to accept your offer even if it does benefit Wave in a form of publicity like we would have her believe," said Danzo while admitting his former rival's plan was brilliant if he could get Maleficent to agree to having Naruto come to Konoha.

"Hence why Jiraiya and Tsunade will go see her in the following months. While Jiraiya cannot claim any form of guardianship over him per Maleficent's terms, she cannot deny Tsunade given the kinship between them. Fortunately, I didn't mention it during the end with Maleficent in the room because she would cut Tsunade out of her right to him as well," replied Hiruzen knowing that with Jiraiya removed from guardianship, the only one left who could contend against Maleficent was Tsunade.

"Where is Tsunade?" asked Koharu while noticing the woman was not here for this meeting.

"I told her everything earlier in private. Given the situation, I felt her inevitable bad temper would be better contained away from all of you. Considering how many of the people in this room do not call Naruto by his name or even with respect, be glad she is not here," said Hiruzen with the Civilian Council grumbling about the Senju woman being disrespectful to them and the Shinobi Council felt Tsunade was possibly going to be a problem in the future.

They only kept silent because the Sandaime Hokage wouldn't allow anyone bad mouth his students in his presence.

(Back with Naruto)

Gaara knew he was losing. He hated losing. He hated knowing he was losing. The very thought of losing to someone was foreign to him. He was the strongest ninja in Suna outside of his Father. He was feared inside of Suna as he was outside. No one until now had landed a direct hit on him whether physically with their bodies or even a Jutsu.

But this Uzumaki Naruto...this boy was different.

Once the area was flooded enough with water, Naruto focused on the sand Gaara was commanding to gauge just how fast it was, and noticed it barely moved at all. It would just hang there like a cloud or some other kind of floating thing in the sky and was unable to truly move from one place to another. With this part of his plan to defeat Gaara, the blonde Uzumaki moved forward with his superior speed, and landed a solid punch to the Suna ninja's face.

Of course, this revealed to Naruto another problem he respectfully had not counted on, as his fist hit something that was not flesh, and did not break the bones along Gaara's jaw. The impact of the fist however, did hurt the red head, but not as much as Naruto thought it would, and made the Uzumaki narrow his eyes.

"I see. So you encased your body in sand as well. A last line of defense no doubt," remarked Naruto while cracking his hand he used to hit Gaara.

"One cannot be too careful," replied Gaara before getting off the ground and glaring at his enemy.

"Indeed. Though I think it is high time to see just how strong your sand armor you're sporting really is," said Naruto before rushing forward again and landed a series of hits on Gaara's body.

'My armor is cracking. He is hitting me in every direction,' thought Gaara while trying to focus what sand was left to help him defend his body against the Wave Daimyo's son.

Alas, the enemy in front of Gaara was too quick, and unpredictable to fight in his current condition.

Naruto hit his opponent with a vicious spin kick right to the face, the sound of something cracking outside of condensed sand was heard. The sound of something within the body breaking in multiple places. Fortunately, the breaking was not from the blonde's end, but rather Gaara's face, as the hit broke the boy's jaw, and caused the red haired boy to black out for a few seconds.

"Come on Gaara. Don't be shy. Remove that armor from your body. Show us the _real_ you behind the facade that is your sand and insanity!" exclaimed Naruto before landing punch after punch and kick after kick.

Until Naruto destroyed the armor completely with a double fisted punch to Gaara's upper and lower torso that send the boy flying back ten feet. As for Gaara, the boy coughed up blood, his mind filled with fear, terror, and anger all rolled into one. His "Mother" was screaming at him to do something or else "she" would in his place.

"I'm trying Mother. He is stronger then I thought. Forgive me!" pleaded Gaara while tears left his eyes and he withered on the ground like a frightened child.

"So weak. So pathetic. Where is your pride as a Jinchuriki? Where is your determination to stand and face your enemy no matter what the odds that lay before you?" questioned Naruto before he kicked Gaara in the stomach and saw the boy skid along the water.

"Get away! Stay away!" exclaimed Gaara wildly while trying to throw what little sand dry or wet at Naruto with nothing sent doing any damage to the blonde.

"Your Father really messed you up. Shikaku is no better. _MY _Mother will have to fix that when I bring your body before her," remarked Naruto before signaling for Haku to do her thing.

"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō!" said Haku while going through one handed hand signs and using her bloodline to make the water around Naruto to rise, turn into a large number of pointy needles, and directing them all at one Sabaku no Gaara.

Whatever armor the Suna boy had left was destroyed in that one final move before he lost consciousness from the pain with his "Mother" screaming at him for his incompetence.

"Now to ensure Shukaku doesn't get any stupid ideas," said Naruto while using his chakra chains to suppress the Biju within Gaara from fully possessing its host.

Which was a good thing too since Shukaku tried to do just that and was screaming curses in a warped voice and promised to cause Naruto untold pain once freed.

_**"I'll kill **_you Uzuma_**ki Naruto!**_ You _**will die! You wi**_ll suff_**er!"**_ screamed out Shukaku while thrashing around in Gaara's injured body while staring at Naruto with black eyes and yellow star like pupils while wishing the chakra chains weren't preventing him from bringing out a full transformation.

"Shut up," replied Naruto before backhanding Gaara's face and saw Shukaku was getting even angrier.

_**"Filthy human! You**_are ju_**st like **_all the _**others! Ta**_king _**wha**_t _**doesn't bel**_ong to _**you!"**_ said Shukaku before Naruto had enough and decided to put the fear of Kami into the Biju to get him to shut up.

And what better way to do it then to push Sabaku no Gaara's body against a tree and have the Kubikiribocho out with the hole closest to the hilt pinning its target further in place?

"Listen to me well Shukaku. I am not like the other humans you are use to dealing with. I have neither the time nor patience to deal with your insane stupidity. I am like Gaara and like Gaara I spent most of my life hated. Attacked. Abused. The only difference is your sand had prevented any physical hits from successfully hitting him until now. Though I can't say the same for his mentality. I also doubt your influence was any better when the really bad stuff happened to him in that regard," whispered Naruto into Gaara's and by extension Shukaku's ear.

_**"You...You ho**_ld _**Kura**_ma?" asked Shukaku with Naruto nodding though kept the fact his Biju had neither made contact nor told him his true name out of the conversation.

"Yes I do. But I don't use his power. I have use my own. I train, I sweat, I bleed until I pass out with no strength left. I do this _everyday_ since my Mother appeared. She took me in. Showed me love. Gave me purpose. Hope. Something your village denied your host and in a sense...yourself," replied Naruto with Shukaku nodding.

_**"You don't **_know_** how hum**_iliating_** it was **_for_** me! Th**_ey sea_**led me **_into_** a tiny tea ke**_ttle du_**ring tim**_es _**of**_ peace an_**d the**_n _**into**_ the_**ir mostly**_ unwi_**lling ho**_sts _**when**_ getting _**ready f**_or _**war. They **_saw me as_** a weapon. A **_tool to be_** used when t**_he_**y see **_fit a_**nd to throw a**_wa_**y when **_my pur_**pose was no lo**_nger_** ne**_ede_**d. I HATE THEM!"**_ exclaimed Shukaku while Gaara's face showed the extend of his anger with the slight snarling in his voice when speaking.

"You think I don't know how humiliating it is? How about living a day without being beaten within an inch of your life? How about surviving mobs kicking the snot out of you and hoping the ninja suppose to be guarding you decide to interfere before they get too bloodthirsty? How about living a life where the people hate you and say that you are just a bastard child? That your parents don't love you? That they abandoned you? That they wished you dead simply because you were a monster made flesh? I hate the people in my old village too. They have done far worse then whatever Suna did to you and Gaara since being sealed into him," countered Naruto with Shukaku saying nothing for a moment.

_**"So y**_o_**u d**_o k_**now**_. _**W**_e tho_**ught**_ _**you**_ were _**lying," **_remarked Shukaku while Naruto shook his head at him

"I know what it is like to suffer Shukaku. Just as I'm sure Gaara does too. Konoha buried my Mother's clan and what they were known for so I would believe I was a nobody. That I was not important like the other clans within the village. That I was a nameless, clanless orphan, and I should be eternally grateful to be even allowed to breathe the same air as them in Konoha," replied Naruto with Shukaku calming down a bit.

_**"And yet**_ you a_**re sa**_ne. Y_**ou are**_ no_**t my**_ h_**ost,"**_ remarked Shukaku while Naruto smirked behind his head gear.

"There was a considerable chance I would have been like Gaara if not for my Mother's own timely intervention. Unlike your actual biological Father, my surrogate Mother did care me. She loves me as if I were own child by blood. I imagine such an offer could be extended to Gaara if given the chance. Provided you don't possess his body and torment his mind," replied Naruto with Shukaku narrowing Gaara's eyes at the offer.

_**"And **_trad_**e one ru**_ler for_** another? Not ex**_actl_**y a no**_ticea_**ble change in te**_rms_** of having a b**_ett_**er life,"**_ commented Shukaku before feeling the pressure of the blade against Gaara's neck press deeper into the flesh.

"Unlike Gaara's bastard Father, my Mother is genuine in terms of being a caring parent. She has done more for me in the first week of being my Mother then Konoha did since my birth leading up to the moment I met her. Do _NOT_ assume she is like the Kazekage of Suna or I will see to it you are sealed into something much _smaller_ then mere tea kettle," remarked Naruto in a threatening tone.

_**"Well...wh**_en y_**ou pu**_t it l_**ike that...lead **_the_** way!"**_ replied Shukaku with Naruto shaking his head.

"You think I'm stupid? That I'm going to let you go and expect instant compliance on your part? Relinquish control back to Gaara. Now!" commanded Naruto with Shukaku narrowing his (Gaara's) eyes before nodding and gave the boy his body back.

"I heard everything you and Shukaku spoke of just now. Take me to your Mother. I wish to see this love she has for you," said Gaara with Naruto removing the blade from his neck, but kept the chakra chains on.

"Gladly. Though you will treat her with respect. Or I will kill you and seal Shukaku into a tea kettle before increasing my knowledge of seals to the point where I can confine him to a tiny matchbox," replied Naruto with Gaara nodding at the threat while glancing at the massive sword in the blonde's hand.

(Suna-Days Later)

"What do you mean Gaara _failed_?! He does not fail!" demanded Kazekage angrily while Baki kept his head bowed.

"I saw what I could Kazekage-sama. Gaara was defeated by Uzumaki Naruto. The Wave Daimyo's son. He bombarded Gaara with water to the point where the sand would be too slow to use. Even Shukaku coming out in the end was impossible, as the Uzumaki was able to create chakra chains that seemed to suppress the power of Shukaku, and held your son against a tree with the Kubikiribocho pressed to his throat," explained Baki with the Kazekage ignoring the fact Gaara was referred to as his son and focused on the fact Gaara was actually defeated.

"Damn faulty weapon. He's no child of mine. But the question remains why you did not interfere and bring Gaara back to Suna?" questioned the Kazekage with Baki bowing his head in shame.

"I planned to rescue Gaara, but Mitarashi Anko was in the area. She saw me and was blocking my path to the boy. Not only that, but the Uzumaki had additional backup already with him. The risk of being caught and being unable to report to you was too high. I felt it would be better to avoid being captured to report my findings," said Baki with the Kazekage not being pleased in the slightest even if his Jounin did the smart thing.

"And now the Wave Daimyo has _MY _Jinchuriki! _MY _weapon! I won't stand for this one bit," remarked the Kazekage while he was continued to fume over the notion of losing his weapon to that..._woman_!

"I just heard Konoha isn't happy with the Wave Daimyo either. Apparently, the Uzumaki boy was their village Jinchuriki too. She also took the Uchiha Clan Head's eldest boy and the former snake Sannin's apprentice into her ranks. As per the trade agreement signed, all such kidnappings are void, and they are hers to command as she sees fit Kazekage-sama," remarked Baki with the Kazekage snarling slightly at the mention of Konoha.

That damn village acted so high and mighty. Offering an alliance that was basically an act of servitude to them in all but name. Even worse, the Wind Daimyo was outsourcing missions to Konoha while cutting Suna's budget time after time until they were barely getting by with the more serious missions going to Gaara for him to handle. With Gaara now gone, things would get increasingly difficult, and even Konoha's loss of their own Jinchuriki wouldn't be enough to put them on even terms.

No where near enough.

"So what? I will not ally with them on this issue. Let them dig their own graves. We will handle this matter on our own and quickly. It is only a matter of time before Iwa or Kumo gets wind of this and makes their moves against us should they see an opportunity. We are actually fortunate the desert is so harsh that either side would hesitate to invade to take us down," replied the Kazekage while thinking how to retrieve his weapon from the clutches of Maleficent.

His son could die for all he cared. All that mattered was getting Shukaku back to be sealed in someone else more competent and capable of wielding the Biju's power.

(Konoha-At the Moment)

Kakashi sighed at the fact his recently made Genin team had not progressed like he had hoped. Sakura was being a hardcore Uchiha fan girl, Sasuke was being his broody emo self in the belief his clan was superior to everyone, and the boy's clan wasn't helping either. As for the third member of their team, a pale skinned boy by the name of Sai, who was placed there on recommendations from Danzo himself...well...the kid had serious issues in interacting with other people.

Namely calling Sakura ugly and Sasuke dickless.

"Shut up baka!" exclaimed Sakura before she punched Sai right in the face for calling Sasuke that horrible name.

'Why me? It is a shame Minato-sensei's boy isn't here. He would have been perfect for this team. At least I would think he would be perfect for it,' thought Kakashi while he saw the three showing none of the fundamentals of teamwork and the Chuunin Exams were fast approaching.

Not only _that_, but the Hokage was also planning to convince the Wave Daimyo to have Naruto come to Konoha to fight Kakashi in an exhibition match. Meaning he had to alter his schedule between training himself to get stronger (he had been slacking a bit since he got out of ANBU) and training his Genin team in the fundamentals of teamwork (a chore unto itself) before the Chuunin Exam nominations came up.

It wasn't long before he ended the training session for the day, hoping their respected clans, and families would fill in any additional gaps in their training for the day. With his trio of mons-er _students_ gone, the Jounin went to the bar and met with his other Jounin for some food, drinks, and talking about the possible futures of their Genin.

"So are you going to nominate your group for the Chuunin Exams?" asked Kurenai while Kakashi shrugged a little since this was the first time they really got together to discuss this issue.

"I'm trying to get them to improve their teamwork and trust. It has not been easy," said Kakashi with a sigh.

"I hear you. My generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho are an absolute mess. Ino is all around bossy and whiny when it comes to training. Shikamaru is lazy. And Choji only seems to care about food," remarked Asuma while his old man had stuck him with a Genin team when getting back to Konoha since the Fire Daimyo was not in a good mood right now.

"By team is a little better. Hinata is shy and nervous, but determined all the same. Hiashi-sama doesn't seem to think highly of her. Hinata just needs that extra something to get her out of that shell she had surrounded herself with. Though what, I have no idea. Tsume's youngest Kiba is a bit of a pervert and horn dog with his 'secret leering' he does at Hinata when he thinks no one is looking. Shino is...unreadable. He speaks on occasion, but I can not get a solid reading from him. I trust he will protect his teammates in the heat of battle, but I get the feeling his commitment to the team is one of that he _has to _help them like it was a mandatory obligation, and not that he _wants to_ help them," commented Kurenai while Gai smiled though even that seemed forced.

"My team is doing very well. I waited a year for them to gain the experience needed to face the trials of the Chuunin Exams this year. They are doing well, but at the same time the rumors surrounding Uzumaki Naruto have them confused, and asking questions about him. They seem to remember seeing glances of the boy," added Gai while Kurenai gave a nod.

"Hinata was saved by a bunch of bullies a month before his disappearance. Apparently, she tried to thank him, but her caretaker Ko pulled Hinata away, and forbid her from ever seeing the gaki again," remarked Kurenai while Asuma nodded.

"I remember that day and the following week since I was here on business for the Fire Daimyo and my dad to deliver some reports. The Hyuuga Clan sent some of its members after the kid, mostly branch family if I recall correctly, and they beat the stuffing out of him. Poor gaki was in the hospital for over a week and the Hyuuga Clan as a whole just flat out refused to even apologize for their actions. They felt that a 'lowly orphan for a piece of commoner trash had no business getting involved in something their Heiress should have handled herself'. The public was fully supporting their decision simply on the principle of hurting Naruto and my old man just..._caved_!" said Asuma with a sigh while the other Jounin in the room looked shocked by this.

"Did you find out why?" asked Kurenai curiously.

"Yeah I asked. Dad said, 'The Hyuuga Clan has significant sway in Konoha and in the Fire Daimyo's Court with powerful nobles. Losing their support undermines my ability to run Konoha effectively. In order to keep the peace and the populace happy, Naruto has to suffer, and the people responsible will not be punished for their actions.' Which I felt was total crap on itself," answered Asuma with the Jounin at the table looking floored.

"So an innocent child suffers and the guilty party gets away with what they did simply because they have connections in high places? Talk about corruption," remarked Kurenai with Gai and Kakashi nodding.

"Agreed, but karma has a way of balancing things out," remarked Gai, as he felt that with every high, there was a low, and life balanced things out.

"In what way?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"The Yondaime's son is now the adopted son of the Wave Daimyo. Not to mention is an Uzumaki by blood and related to the Senju Clan since the Uzumaki Clan were cousins to them. He can now pull some major political punches now or when he is older. If Naruto is truly an Uzumaki, he will not forgive, or forget what people here in Konoha did to him. Especially if this Maleficent is nurturing that side of Naruto when he comes across those who feel they are untouchable," answered Gai with the other Jounin around him realizing he was right.

"The Hyuuga are going to be paying through the nose if Naruto has his way," remarked Asuma with Gai letting out a small chuckle.

"This is an Uzumaki we are talking about my youthful friend. And Kushina's child no less. They will pay far more then you realize," commented Gai since he had seen just how vindictive Kushina was as a kunoichi and did everything in his power to prevent himself from getting on her bad side.

"Oh shit," commented Kakashi with Asuma and Kurenai thinking the same thing.

'Oh shit is right,' thought Asuma, Kurenai, and even Gai too.

(Wave Country-Daimyo's Castle-1 Week Later)

Gaara felt good. Better then he did in his entire life. And why wouldn't he? His seal was looked at by both Maleficent and Naruto. It turns out, the woman had magical powers to strengthen the seal on him while Naruto was able to make additional modifications to it so Shukaku couldn't whisper into his head and allow him to sleep without fear of the Biju getting out. After that, Gaara had a simple spell by Maleficent put on him to make the boy go into a deep sleep that lasted for roughly a week.

Now Gaara felt like a huge weight had been lifted right off of his shoulder. Not only _that_, but Maleficent wanted her to be a brother to Naruto. Meaning she also wanted him to be a son to her as well, much to his surprise, and to the joy of his new brother. Maleficent had told Gaara that she understood his pain and her life prior to meeting Naruto was one filled with heartache and betrayal. She wanted to give Naruto a loving family and home when she first met him and was now offering the same to Gaara.

After a moment to consider it this, the boy humbly accepted the offer, and even called Maleficent his Kaa-san before embracing the woman in a loving hug.

The only down side was the loss of being able to repair the damage he had done to his actual family in the form of his siblings Kankuro and Temari. The next time he met them, there was a chance the two of them would be his enemies, and seek to kill him on the orders of their Father. While Gaara had no love for his male sire, his two siblings were a different matter entirely, and wanted to at least give them a chance to reconcile with them.

And if they still wanted him dead regardless? Well...he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Gaara! How are you feeling?" asked Naruto while Gaara smiled a true smile at his new brother.

"Good. My mind is clearer now. I no longer feel the need to kill everything around me," replied Gaara calmly while feeling his sand was moving around him and not through the Biju inside who had helped in that regard.

"Good to hear. You also need to have more of an arsenal in your way of fighting. You can only use your sand for so long before someone does what I did and drowns you in water. My advice is to find out what you don't have a lot of strength in and work on it," said Naruto with Gaara nodding since it made perfect sense.

Find out what your weakness was and work on it to become a strength.

Walking toward the training area, the two stopped when Maleficent came to greet them, and Gaara instantly bowed humbly before his new Mother. His mind hoping she will continue to love him like she does Naruto and not hold the attack he led on Wave at his bastard Father's command.

And Shukaku's insistence.

"Kaa-san," whispered Gaara while hoping the woman didn't mind him calling her that so soon.

"Kaa-san," said Naruto with his voice being a bit louder, but was no less respectful, and loving to the woman who took them in.

"Gaara. Naruto. How are my two boys doing?" asked Maleficent, as she wanted to see how they were getting along after Gaara's week long nap, and making needed repairs to the poor boy's damaged mind.

"We are well Kaa-san," replied Naruto happily.

"We were actually about to go train in the courtyard. Brother wishes for me to learn to work on other skills beyond my sand," added Gaara with Maleficent nodding.

"I agree with his assessment. There may come a day when your sand will not aid you in battle against someone with a high affinity for water and you are surrounded by a large majority of it. My advise to you is start with the basics of what you do know, what you do not know, and how to change the latter into the former," replied Maleficent with Gaara nodding in agreement.

"Kaa-san, I...I want to apologize for what I did. I also...I also want to thank you for taking me in. For calling me your son. I haven't been called that for quite some time," whispered Gaara while looking up at the woman, half expecting her to scowl, slap him maybe, and use her power to cast his body into the nearest body of water to drown.

Instead, she smiled down at the boy, kneeled so her face was nearly eye level, and gave Gaara a warm hug that filled the mentally scarred ninja with joy. He could get use to this type of feeling once thought lost to him after Uncle Yashamaru had attempted to kill him.

"Just like Naruto, you are my son, and no one will be able to say otherwise. All I ask in return is you trust me and obey my orders when I give a necessary command," replied Maleficent, as she wanted Gaara to understand that she was not only his new Mother, but also the Daimyo of this land, and thus had _final_ authority on things.

"Yes Kaa-san," replied Gaara happily before Haku appeared with an aura of anger that Naruto felt was coming off of her.

"Maleficent-sama, I just saw Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin cross the bridge. They are heading here. They told the samurai guarding the bridge they needed to see you. They did not say what and threatened to use violence and possibly destroy a large portion if not all of the bridge should they not be allowed to see you," said Haku with Maleficent frowning at the fact Jiraiya was back here and had brought his female teammate with him.

"It seems your training outside will have to wait. You two will stay beside me the entire time. Haku, get Itachi and Anko as well. I want all of you beside me in the event this is a diversion to take you all in some surprise attack," commanded Maleficent firmly.

"What about Tayuya and Karin?" asked Naruto since he didn't know where they were at the moment, and was worried for their safety too.

"Don't worry my child. They are at the ruins of the Uzumaki Clan seeking to expand their knowledge in the clan arts. No one knows they are there but us at the moment," replied Maleficent while Naruto nodded while giving Gaara a "keep that to yourself for now" look which the red haired boy knew well and nodded in acceptance.

They were his new family. A loving and caring family. Any who dared to take them away or seek to harm them would know his wrath should they try.

(Throne Room-Moments Later)

"I'm a bit surprised you came here to see me Jiraiya-san. Even more so that you brought another here to this. Especially since you were told by your _own_ _Daimyo_ that your right to guardianship over Naruto was _revoked_," said Maleficent with the Toad Sannin sporting a frown and Tsunade doing the same.

"That he did. Fortunately for me and Konoha by extension, there is _one_ person who can contest guardianship of Naruto," replied Jiraiya while motioning with his hand to his female companion.

"Her? And what business does this woman have to challenge me for my son's happiness here in Wave?" asked Maleficent with the blonde busty woman stepping forward.

"I am Senju Tsunade of the Senju Clan. The Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan are cousin clans. I am seeking to take custody of Naruto and raise him as if he was my own son," said Tsunade with Maleficent frowning at the woman.

"Really? Cousin clans? Meaning the two are tied together by blood through a relative in the past? asked Maleficent with the Senju woman nodding.

"Yes. I am even an Uzumaki on my Grandmother's side of the family. She married Senju Hashirama, who became the Shodaime Hokage, and was one of the reasons Konoha now exists," replied Tsunade with the woman hoping it would impress Maleficent in front of her.

Instead, it seemed to earn the Senju woman the horned ruler's contempt.

"I see. I believe you. There is no lying in your words. I can even see you are related to my son through my own unique power. And _yet_, you have left him alone since the time of his birth. Why is that?" remarked Maleficent while Tsunade looked down in shame.

"I was suppose to take care of him. Jiraiya couldn't because his spy network required he be on the road continuously. I had...no such excuse," replied Tsunade while seeing the woman on her throne narrowing her eyes.

"The fool's excuse aside and the fact you had none means you left Konoha to escape your natural duty to protect and love Naruto. Meaning you _willingly_ abandoned him. Why? Did you hate him? Did you loathe his existence? Even now, but skillfully hiding it? Do you look upon my poor son as some cruel representation of what you lost? Of what your _precious_ village lost?" asked Maleficent while Tsunade looked at her and then to Naruto, who glared slightly at the fact this woman left him when he needed her most.

"No. I left because...I was afraid. Not of him. But rather, I was afraid of...myself. I was afraid I couldn't raise him properly. I had never been a Mother. I never raised a child and the closest experience I had was my little brother before he...before he died on a mission for Konoha," replied Tsunade with Maleficent's eyes narrowing even further with anger.

"You were afraid of being a poor Mother. I see. Cowardice is your excuse it seems. And during your time away from the village, what exactly did you do on your travels away from Naruto? What vice did you enjoy while this boy suffered. This very boy, who stands beside me? This boy who like his newly appointed brother Sabaku no Gaara have become my greatest joy in the world. A gift from the Gods above to any woman wishing to be a Mother. A gift _you_ foolishly wasted! Answer me!" demanded Maleficent with Tsunade almost breaking down into tears at this point over the guilt she felt about this.

It had been eating at her since returning to Konoha on orders of her sensei regarding the duty she ran from. The moment Tsunade stepped foot in the village, she saw the people cheering over the fact the "demon brat" had been taken out of Konoha. Later they cheered about how the boy was in a coma when the Sandaime spread that lie of a cover story. She had wanted to smash some heads. Lots of heads to be exact. When Tsunade found out that Maleficent had Naruto and raised the boy like her own son, it hit the Sannin heard right in the heart. She thought her emotions or guilt over the past neglect of the boy when he needed her wouldn't hit so hard.

She had been wrong.

The accusation. The pain she felt in her heart from answering. The glare from the woman and the boy were stabbing her over and over again. To make matters worse, they had every right to judge her on this matter. One having done for Naruto what Tsunade had failed to do and had done an outstanding job. The other was Naruto himself, as he bonded with Maleficent, calling the horned woman his Mother, and was denouncing anyone from Konoha. Anyone who would seek to remove Naruto from his surrogate Mother simply to turn him into a weapon of war for the benefit of a Shinobi village that hated what he was in the first place.

It felt wrong to do this to Naruto, but Tsunade did want to be there for him now, and be a proper Godmother to the boy.

"I drowned myself in sake and gambling. It was all I could do. Sake kept my guilt at bay while gambling distracted me from the nagging feeling of coming back to Konoha. I tried to focus on cards and gambling machines over the image of a blonde haired baby that at one point reached for me the one time I saw him before turning around to leave," replied Tsunade with Naruto's eyes narrowing, his anger rising within himself, and wished to kill this woman right now if only to send her head back to Konoha.

Maleficent's hand on his shoulder and Gaara's own on the other kept him from acting on the desire to end the Sannin with all the fury his body could muster. To the other side of the throne, Itachi was impassive though it was clear in his eyes he did not like how this woman had left a baby Naruto when he reached for her at that age of desiring love from that special someone to provide such love. Anko wanted to unleash her snake, but had to hold back since Maleficent did not give the order. Haku's hands twitched and wanted to call forth her senbon needles to hit every pressure point the human body had to offer.

"Your argument for being Naruto's new guardian and as a surrogate Mother to him is most _compelling_!" remarked Maleficent in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey! Lay off Tsunade. She may have left, but the moment I told her about Naruto being in trouble, my hime came running back, and wanted to set things right," said Jiraiya while he got a glare from Maleficent for his troubles, and it was clear this woman was no at all impressed by them coming here now.

"And she has done a piss poor job of it ever since. In fact, Tsunade here failed the very moment she abandoned my son and stepped out of Konoha to embrace her vices rather then do what was right. Cowardice such as yours and your teammate my dear _disgusts_ me to no end," remarked Maleficent with her scowl deepening by the second.

"All the same, I want to be in his life. I want him to be apart of Konoha with me. All I am asking is for a chance to be what I should have been from the start," begged Tsunade with Maleficent narrowing her eyes.

"Request _denied_. You had your chance Senju. You had the chance and the honor of being a surrogate Mother to Naruto. I have no reason to even remotely consider the idea, the very notion of letting you near him ever again, much less _share_ any parental guardianship with you!" replied Maleficent with Tsunade eyes filling with tears while glaring angrily at the dark witch.

"He is family by blood!" stated Tsunade with Maleficent smiling coldly at her.

"Yes. He is your family by blood. Family...that you _ignored_! But you know what they say about such lost moments. Your loss is _MY_ gain!" replied Maleficent with Tsunade getting angrier by the minute.

"Wait! Wait! Let's not be too hasty and do something we are going to regret. How about a bet? A wager?! The winner of the bet gets the right to claim guardianship over Naruto," offered Jiraiya while getting between Tsunade and Maleficent still on her throne.

"And the loser?" asked Maleficent with Jiraiya thinking for a bit.

"Winner names the terms for what the loser must pay in the aftermath," answered Jiraiya with Tsunade gasping in shock at what he said before grabbing the idiot and pulling him close to whisper.

"Are you nuts?! You basically said the winner gets a blank slate on terms for what the loser has to pay!" whispered Tsunade with Jiraiya nodding.

"Its the only way to get her to agree. Just roll with it," whispered Jiraiya before he turned to face Maleficent again.

"Interesting. Just out of idle curiosity, what is the bet you had in mind?" asked Maleficent while wanting to hear the proposal before shooting it down...violently.

"The Chuunin Exams are coming up soon. In a few months to be exact. Clients, nobles, and Daimyos all over are going to attend to see the ninja from the five major Shinobi villages compete. What I am suggesting is a match. A simple exhibition match between Naruto and his Father's last remaining student Hatake Kakashi. If Naruto wins, you keep guardianship of Naruto, and no one from Konoha can interfere. Ever! If Kakashi wins the match, Tsunade gets guardianship over Naruto, and he returns to Konoha to be raised their to form bonds with the people," explained Jiraiya while Naruto narrowed his eyes and knew what the Sannin was trying to do.

"Tempting offer. But why should I even consider this. Even if the bet were fair, I have no real reason to agree to this silly wager. I have uncontested guardianship over Naruto right now. The Fire Daimyo himself made the agreement binding via contract signing and seal in place to make it official. What purpose could it serve to put my son through a pointless match where the risk is not worth any reward given that I don't already have now? What is there left for me to gain from agreeing to this exhibition match?" replied Maleficent with Jiraiya knowing he had to play this carefully.

"Think about it. This is the perfect time to make Wave known to the rest of the world. All the important and influential people from all over the Elemental Countries will be there. You can make it known to these nobles and Daimyos that your country has certain good they may want and you can get it to them thanks to your new bridge. You could increase trade during this time and with Naruto competing it will let the world know all you have accomplished with him," offered Jiraiya with Maleficent looking at him to Naruto before tapping the boy's shoulder to get his attention.

"What do you think Naruto? Do you wish to fight your Father's former student? Is the risk of losing me as your surrogate Mother worth the reward of bringing about future trade and fame to Wave?" asked Maleficent while Naruto closed his eyes in thought for a second to process everything in his head.

"No. I won't risk you. Not now. Not ever. Wave is doing fine. Our country is flourishing and growing stronger. This is a scheme to keep me in Konoha and for you to lose me as your son. I would sooner kill myself then surrender what I have with you and the others here," replied Naruto with Maleficent nodding while Jiraiya and Tsunade looked shocked at his response to the woman's question.

"Agreed. Tell your Sandaime Hokage since he clearly concocted this plot that my answer to his challenge and ruse is a _no_. Now get out of castle and land," commanded Maleficent in a cold tone while Tsunade looked at him pleadingly to consider before an idea came to her head.

A risky one, but one nonetheless.

"What if I offer this?!" asked Tsunade before she produced a necklace with a single green jewel in the center.

"And why exactly would I care about this jewel?" asked Maleficent, but sensed there was more to this jewel that meets the eye.

"It once belonged to my Grandfather. He gave it to me. Its overall wealth can buy several mountains," replied Tsunade while Maleficent narrowed her eyes at the gem dangling off of the necklace and knew there was more to it then that.

'There is something about the gem she is holding. Something close to my power resonates within, but is still different. Does she know? And could it possibly hurt Naruto or Gaara if in the wrong hands?' thought Maleficent while thinking about this in her mind.

"What do you say? Winner gets Naruto and the necklace," offered Tsunade while Jiraiya was not expecting her to do this.

"Maleficent-sama, I think Naruto-sama should take the bet," whispered Itachi while his Mistress looked at him with briefly.

"Why? Explain quickly," whispered Maleficent to her servant.

"Tsunade-sama is known throughout the Elemental Countries as the 'Legendary Sucker' because of her notorious bad luck when it comes to gambling. She barely wins. When Tsunade does win, bad things usually happen to her in the process. Not only that, but the jewel is rumored to have mystical properties in addition to its proclaimed wealth," replied Itachi while Maleficent narrowed her eyes further at the last part.

"What kind of mystical properties Itachi?" whispered Maleficent though she suspected it had something to do with the Biju.

"Combined with the Mokuton bloodline of the Senju, it enhances the bloodline, and can suppress the power of a Biju or Jinchuriki," whispered Itachi while Maleficent's eyes went wide before they narrowed again in anger at the sight of such a jewel like that in the hands of someone so irresponsible.

"I see. Thank you for informing me about this Itachi," whispered Maleficent before she turned to look at her son.

"Kaa-san?" asked Naruto since he saw her facial expressions regarding this wager shift to show many different emotions and it worried him.

"Do you trust me Naruto?" asked Maleficent with Naruto nodding.

"Always Kaa-san," replied Naruto without hesitation.

"Then I need you to trust me now. I am accepting the wager. I want you to participate in this match against Hatake Kakashi," said Maleficent with Naruto looking shocked and the two Sannin looking delighted.

"If that is what you wish then I will accept your decision Kaa-san," replied Naruto with Maleficent smiling at him before she turned her visage over to the two Sannin and gave them an ice cold look that could freeze the sun!

'Such a Momma's boy. Had he been raised in Konoha properly, such a thing would never have happened,' thought Jiraiya, as he knew Minato, and Kushina were never that way to their own female figures they lived up to when growing up.

He would have to change that when Kakashi won. Maybe have Inoichi perform a strong memory wipe of the woman's presence or have the memories of Maleficent be altered to make her seem villainous.

Well...more villainous then usual.

"Very well. We have a deal. Please go inform your Sandaime Hokage of this arrangement while I send a messenger to the Fire Daimyo concerning the given terms of the bet," said Maleficent with Jiraiya and Tsunade nodding with both pleased to hear this news.

Though one had different reasons over the other.

"Can you believe it! She agreed to the match. Just like sensei said she would!" exclaimed Jiraiya happily once they were on Fire Country land while Tsunade simply smiled if only slightly and it was clear she was not as enthusiastic as he was about this.

"Yes she did. Though it did take quite a bit of convincing on our part," replied Tsunade softly before she held her Grandfather's necklace in her hand and felt tears forming.

She could almost see her Grandfather's face in it staring back. Sadly, his face was neither smiling nor scowling, and seemed to be waiting on his Granddaughter that would decide what expression would await her. No doubt his inability to express himself was based on the undecided path she would take in the future regarding Naruto. She wasn't for the idea of forcing the boy back to Konoha, but she did want to be his Godmother, and raise him like she should have from the start.

Only her own cowardice and the demons of the past haunting her mind had kept such an action from happening. Nawaki. Dan. Kushina. Her family as a whole. All dead with her being the only exception. How could she risk raising Naruto knowing there was a chance the boy would fall early on in life like the rest of them? She had Shizune, but the girl had been trained extensively before and after Tsunade took her in, and raised the young (at the time) teen to become a competent adult/kunoichi in the heat of battle.

She didn't believe at the time it was possible for her to raise Naruto since the experience with babies was none. She had no maternal instincts. No real connection with the boy at the time and while it was clear the baby Naruto of the time wanted her as his Mother...she had denied him. It was considered one of the ultimate sins a woman could do to an infant baby in denying him love when he had reached for her saying that day "Love me! Love me please!" in his own cute adorable way.

Damn it! Now she wanted cry.

"Don't worry hime. Once Naruto is back in Konoha, we can erase his memories of that witch, and you can fill in the gaps yourself. Granted, we'll have to seal away his strength, and start from scratch to ensure he's properly trained to defend Konoha, but its no big de-AAAH!" exclaimed Jiraiya before he was punched hard in the stomach.

"I don't want his memories erased Jiraiya. Or have them altered! I don't want his strength to be sealed just so you and Hiruzen can remold him to your liking. I want to earn back his love and forgiveness for my cowardice in not raising him. I can't do that if you take away his memories and show just how remorseful I truly am!" Tsunade nearly yelled at the downed Sannin.

"Its not up to you Tsunade. Once Kakashi wins his match, I have orders from Hiruzen to seal up his strength, and make sure Inoichi can work on his mind to give us a clean slate to work with," replied Jiraiya with Tsunade looking furious.

"So sensei lied. I won't be raising Naruto," accused Tsunade with Jiraiya wincing.

"Yes and no. We need you around to raise Naruto to handle the negativity he is going to face and keep him from lashing out. As for overall raising, we are going to have him be around other ninja who will teach him different things," said Jiraiya while Tsunade now narrowing her eyes at him.

"And where will he live? Was it a lie that he would be living with me?" asked Tsunade while she glared at her former teammate and fellow Sannin.

"Yes. Sensei arranged for an apartment for him to live in by himself," answered Jiraiya though his eyes wouldn't meet her right away and she instantly suspected something was off with his answer.

"Where is the apartment located? Where?!" demanded Tsunade while grabbing him by his shirt and looked the man dead in the eye.

"Tsunade, it doesn't matter. Just drop it," replied Jiraiya before he was slammed into a nearby tree and Tsunade had her fist cocked back to fire at his head.

"Either you tell me where the apartment is located or I 'drop' _you_ here and lie to sensei about how you met your end," threatened Tsunade with her eyes narrowing and Jiraiya knew she was serious.

"It is located between the Slums and the Red Light District," answered Jiraiya with the woman in front of him looking livid.

"I know that place. Its run down. Basically rotting from the inside out. The Councils have been wrapping it up in red bureaucratic tape for years to keep the Hokage from cleaning it up. They basically control the area around that section of the village. They will use it to their advantage and cover up any abuse Naruto suffers!" exclaimed Tsunade with Jiraiya wincing knowing it was true, but wasn't about to let that stop him.

"The Kyuubi can heal him Tsunade. He can take the punishment," said Jiraiya before he was slammed against the tree yet again.

"You wouldn't be saying that if it was Minato at Naruto's age they were attacking. We both know you would storm into sensei's office and _demand_ the heads of every person that hurt your student. Hell, you would hunt them down yourselves, and display their dead bodies all over the village square with a sign saying "Jiraiya was here!" so everyone knew who made an example of them," countered Tsunade with Jiraiya scowling now at the mention of his late student.

"That is different Tsunade. Minato is..._was _my...," said Jiraiya, but was cutoff by Tsunade who had heard enough.

"Was what Jiraiya? Your student? Your surrogate son? Everything you had wanted in life for a student who could give you fame and glory on the side? To boast about? I saw how you acted when I had to be around you in public Jiraiya. Always boasting about 'Minato doing this!' or 'Minato doing!' with you basically implying he was strong thanks to your teachings. You would have never gotten that far with Naruto. You didn't even want to try with Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade while the man narrowed his eyes at her.

"Perhaps, but I'm not going to apologize for it. Minato and Kushina may have entrusted me with him as the Godparent, but its not a binding obligation to be there for him every single second. I'm not going to be there to hold his hand every step of the way. That is not what a sensei or Godparent does with a kid," said Jiraiya while Tsunade grit her teeth in anger.

"You are a complete and total _asshole! _Being a Godparent means you _raise _a child and teach him the basics of life. Maleficent was right to take away guardianship of Naruto from you. You were a failure as a Genin growing up just as you are a total failure as a Godfather when Naruto was born!" stated Tsunade with Jiraiya looking increasingly angry at her words since being a failure most of his life had always been a sore spot for him.

"And what about you Slug Princess? You weren't exactly in his life either. Too afraid to be a surrogate Mother. You tucked tail and ran like a whipped dog. You're no better then I am in terms of being a bad Godparent," countered Jiraiya while Tsunade angry eyes now sported water running down her face.

"I know Jiraiya. Unlike you, I can at least admit my mistakes regarding my neglect with Naruto, and at least try to make the attempt to earn his forgiveness. You won't even say you're sorry to him. You don't even care that what sensei plans to do will rip away his happiness!" exclaimed Tsunade angrily with Jiraiya not meeting her in the eyes.

"Konoha's overall happiness matters far more Tsunade. One child's suffering over a little displeasure for the village's superiority for years to come is hardly a price worth flinching over when paying for it," replied Jiraiya before he was punched hard in the face and he felt his jaw break in multiple places.

"And you wonder why I refused to be with you. I _always_ saw the ugliness in you Jiraiya. I could easily tolerate your perverted nature, but the ugliness of your soul from your own actions in the past, and the present is another matter entirely. _IF_ Naruto comes under my custody, I will not allow you to hurt him, or mold him into Konoha weapon. I will fight every ninja, every ANBU, you, and even sensei to prevent that from happening. Part of me is almost _hoping_ he will win against Kakashi so this matter will be stupidity that is sensei's plan!" said Tsunade before she walked away from Jiraiya, who glared behind his broken, and very swollen face.

'This is bad. I knew Tsunade was acting like this earlier, but I didn't think she would get this bad, or this emotional either. Her maternal instincts for Naruto have been growing for years. The bodies she broke that one day when some people talked bad about Naruto is proof of that. Now the only question left to ask is...will she leave with Naruto? Or will she kill everyone in sight to prevent us from fulfilling his destiny?' thought Jiraiya, as he rubbed his swollen face, and winced when touching it.

No peeping in the hot springs or flirting with the ladies for him.

(With Naruto)

Naruto stood in the courtyard used for training. His face was dead serious. He looked like a commander addressing the troops about an important mission.

In a way, he was doing just that. For standing in front of him was Haku, Gaara, Tayuya, Karin, Itachi, and Anko with Maleficent watching everything off to the side.

"As most of you here now know, I am to compete in the Chuunin Exams being held in Konoha in the coming months against Hatake Kakashi in an exhibition match. A match with my Mother's guardianship over me being at stake. If I lose to my foe, Senju Tsunade will become my new guardian, and Konoha will use that to make me into their weapon they can control with a snap of their fingers. Considering that time is against us and my foe is a high level Jounin taught _personally_ by my late Father the Yondaime Hokage, we need to up my training to the point where it would considered cruel. I must train to the point where even my vast reserves of chakra are drained to the point of nonexistence. I must train until my body cannot handle any more. This is where all of you will come into play," said Naruto while he saw Itachi, Anko, and Gaara nod since they knew this was indeed necessary.

Karin and Tayuya looked a bit nervous since they had never been forced into such a high level, backbreaking training session when under the service of Orochimaru.

"Hatake Kakashi is skilled ninja. He even has the Sharingan under his headband that was given to him by his deceased teammate Uchiha Obito. He has copied over one thousand Jutsus. He will not be easy to beat," added Itachi since he knew of Kakashi's reputation when he was in the ANBU.

"All the more the reason to train until I drop. Haku, I need you to infiltrate Konoha for a small time, and observe Kakashi long enough to evaluate his threat potential. Itachi, I will be working with you on how to combat the Sharingan in the event I force him to use his own. Anko will help with stealth, traps, and various other methods of attacking the boy with kunai, shuriken, and other assorted weapons. Gaara, I will have you spar with me for a time, and help teach you some things so you don't rely on your sand so much," replied Naruto while the group nodded.

"What about us cousin?" asked Karin while Naruto knew the two girls wanted to know what they would be doing.

"We as a group will be studying Fuinjutsu together. As members of the Uzumaki Clan, we must strengthen ourselves in that field since it is our birthright. To deny ourselves such a skill is like denying fish the right to swim in water. Or denying a bird the right to fly through the air," stated Naruto with both girls nodding in agreement.

"Sounds like a crap load of fun cousin," commented Tayuya while she wanted to expand on other things outside of her flute to make Genjutsu or summon Oni to fight for her.

"Considering what is at risk here, this needs to be taken seriously. If Konoha learns either you or Karin are here, if they haven't already, chances are Orochimaru will too, and you two need to be a lot stronger to repel anything sent your way. Konoha will not tolerate anyone else having someone of Uzumaki Clan blood in their veins. They want to have the exclusive rights to our clan due our family being able to hold Kyuubi inside our bodies. Our overall talents in Fuinjutsu being second to none makes us all prime candidates for villages to recruit for making new seals or possibly breaking them. Kumo would seek to have you in their ranks to breed new Uzumaki Clan members and make some of them into Seal Masters. They would wish for the latter from us in order to target certain seals like the Hyuuga Clan's Cage Bird Seals in order to break them," explained Naruto, as he had been given a thorough education about the world from Itachi, and Anko about how Shinobi villages operate when it comes to the value of a nearly extinct clan or a just one ninja in general with incredible skills few could match.

"Well when you put it like that," said Tayuya knowing Orochimaru wouldn't expect her or Karin to learn anything about Fuinjutsu.

She bet the snake fucker would simply die knowing both of them could and they were both Uzumaki Clan members to boot! Wouldn't that be a riot?! Orochimaru dies not from a kunai, old age, or a Jutsu experiment gone wrong. But from shock at having two full blooded Uzumaki Clan members in his hands and not even realizing it until _after_ it was too late.

"We have only a few months before I go into the heart of what I consider to be enemy territory. When that time comes, I want to be at a level that would make the Hokage himself break out in a sweat," said Naruto with his eyes burning with determination, as he knew what was at risk, and would rise to meet it no matter what.

He would not lose his family. He would not lose to Hatake Kakashi. He would not lose to Konoha! _PERIOD_!

(A/N: YAY! I updated for all of you. Hope you enjoyed this little number for all of you for the New Year of 2015. Hard to imagine huh? Me too. Until next time...PEACE!)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-Arrivals

Naruto was in the carriage with his Mother. His eyes closed, but mind sharp as the sword he wielded, and focused on the matter before him. The young blonde Uzumaki had gone over a mental checklist of everything he needed for his time in Konoha, which was why he was in the carriage at the moment with his Mother. In two weeks time, the Chuunin Exams would start, and the match between himself against Hatake Kakashi would happen with the side winning getting guardianship over his person. If he won, Naruto would stay with Maleficent, and they would return to Wave Country. But if he _lost_, Naruto would be brought back to Konoha under the guardianship of Senju Tsunade.

Not only that, but with him being back in Konoha, the powers that be would move for him to have his memories of Maleficent erased, and his abilities sealed up. He would become the village's weapon, a tool to be used, and then thrown away when bled dry from fighting for them. There was even a chance Konoha would somehow or someway go back on their word in honoring the agreement made from the deal brought about from this competition.

Hence one of the reasons why they were heading to Konoha now since it would help get a layout of the land in the event such a thing happened. Maleficent could easily escape with her powers and take Naruto if close enough, but who was to say Konoha wouldn't use a moment of opportunity to separate them long enough to prevent it?

It was better to not take any chances.

Plus, Naruto wanted to see just what his biological parents had left for him in terms of an inheritance, and see what had become of the Uzumaki Clan riches Konoha had horded for themselves.

Maleficent herself, surprisingly enough wished to stay in Konoha during the time leading up to the Chuunin Exam Finals, and see if there was anyone or anything worth saving in the village. While she was here, the dark witch had placed Itachi in charge of things as Regent until her return in order to keep the man away from the ever angry Uchiha Clan. Anko herself was to come along with them and be an extra pair of eyes to prevent any if not all attempts at assassination done by the ninja they would be surrounded by.

"Eager to return to Konoha after so many years my son?" asked Maleficent with Naruto shaking his head no.

"Not really. I am only doing this to put Konoha down once and for all in their claims to my person," replied Naruto with Maleficent smiling while she looked at the orb on her staff in thought.

"Do not worry my child. I won't let anything happen to you. I can see your future. Your destiny. You have a purpose beyond being this village's weapon of war. One that cannot be denied nor controlled. Merely unleashed. Fight with all your strength, all your power, and all of your love for me. Do all of this and you will win the day against your Father's student," replied Maleficent calmly while Naruto nodded since he intended to do just that.

"Part of me wishes Gaara, Karin, and Tayuya were here with us," commented Naruto since Gaara had to stay behind in Wave to catch up on his sleep and continue training in using different elemental based ninjutsus.

"You know why they had to stay behind Naruto. Gaara's mind is still healing from the years of being without sleep. Not something you can overcome in a matter of months my son. Not to mention training to not rely on his sand anymore. The same for your cousins. The all need to train without prying eyes spying on us catching glimpses of them. Don't worry. Itachi will keep an eye on them while we are away. They have come a long way since their arrival on our doorstep," countered Maleficent while Naruto nodding since his friend and adopted brother needed to continue healing.

"I know. I was...being selfish in a sense," replied Naruto with Maleficent letting out an amused chuckle.

"I understand my son. You will see Gaara, Karin, and Tayuya soon enough. For now, let us attend to matters regarding out current destination," said Maleficent before the carriage stopped a few short seconds later.

Stepping out of the carriage, Maleficent walked out first with Anko in her snake form on her shoulder while Naruto came out seconds later. Haku, who had been driving, easily leaped off the carriage to tie down the horses, and walked over to stand beside Naruto. In the small time away from Konoha, she had infiltrated the village with ease, and posing as a simple civilian girl had allowed Haku the chance to spy on her Master's enemies. She was able to go places where Kakashi visited when he wasn't training either himself or his Genin team. At times, Haku would make it seem like she was wondering around, and "accidently" bump into Kakashi's team or the man himself while making it seem like she was running errands.

To keep the suspicion of her activities from being discovered, she even hired them for the simplest D-ranked missions others around the village would hire ninja to do. Fortunately, Haku had plenty of money with her to ensure that her stay in Konoha wouldn't be a strain on her financially. Since none of Kakashi's Genin or Kakashi himself had ever met Haku, it was easy to fool them into believing she was harmless, and was unable to do anything ninja related. At most, Sakura glared at Haku due to her beauty, and thinking the ice user would steal Sasuke away. Sai just smiled his fake smile and Sasuke just grunted during conversations most of the time. Kakashi himself was walking around with his perverted orange book in hand and glancing around lazily at his team ever so often. Overall, the ruse had worked during her time in the village long enough to get a glimpse into what Kakashi was like as a ninja and even as a sensei to the group of Genin he was teaching.

At first, Haku thought the man was just plain lazy. Arriving late, making up excuses for being late, and reading Icha Icha Paradise in a lazy manner while his trio of Genin were trying to act as a single unit. But when they left for the day, Haku noticed the man was far more serious, and actually trained like a ninja should. This puzzled Haku since she did not expect Kakashi to be lazy one moment with his Genin team and then be serious the next when they weren't there. Why was that the case? Why be lazy around his students, yet serious when alone? Why not show them what a ninja should be like and pass it on to them?

It was only later when Haku went to a local BBQ establishment run by the Akimichi Clan that she was able to overhear Kakashi explain why he was doing this to the other Jounin with their own group of Genin. From what she was able to overhear when sitting at her table, Kakashi kept his Genin team from seeing the more serious side of training because several surprisingly logical reasons.

A.) They were not ready for what he did in terms of training when not around. Sakura's own Uchiha fan girl behavior being used as a prime example. No surprise there.

B.) Kakashi didn't trust them to handle the responsibility it took to handle such training. Again, Sakura was used, but also Sasuke's attitude for an Uchiha mindset, and Sai being a spy for Danzo.

And C.) Kakashi didn't want his team to bother him during his training or ask why he was training so hard. Since he would be fighting his sensei's son soon in order to successfully bring him back to Konoha, the fewer who saw him training, and tell about it the better.

If his team knew what he did during training, Kakashi had little doubt they would keep things quiet, or rather keep the rumors from spreading. Since most of Konoha knew of the events that would transpire soon regarding the match, it would be best to keep most of the details about him training a secret. Details that his Genin team were not even allowed to know and Kakashi was not allowed to tell.

And now here they were, Maleficent, Naruto, and Haku herself standing in front of their enemies in a somewhat civilized first meeting inside the village. The Sandaime Hokage, Jiraiya, Tsunade, a handful of ANBU, and the two Shinobi Elders looking at them with their scowling faces. Haku disliked the last two immensely. Their horribly wrinkled faces having that horrible seemingly permanently scowl and each wrinkled face having a pair of judgmental eyes when looking at you that was just plain rude. Haku had seen them in passing when doing her surveillance of the village and saw how the two acted.

Like they were your superiors in every way possible and to even be in their presence was something you should get on your knees to thank Kami.

Disgusting old relics.

Haku was sure that the other elderly man with a cane named Danzo wasn't here simply because the thought of meeting a Feudal Lord from another country regardless of her power was a waste of his time. No doubt sent his agents to hide in the shadows in secret to monitor their arrival. She had heard quite a bit about the man being the former rival for the position of Sandaime Hokage and how he had formed the Root Foundation that had created emotionless drones for ninja. All trained to kill people on command with no real feelings at all and obeying Danzo above all others. There were even some rumors saying that these Root Shinobi would obey Danzo over the Sandaime Hokage himself if put to the test.

"Welcome Maleficent-sama to Konoha. I hope your stay here for the duration leading up to the Chuunin Exams will be a pleasant one," said the Sandaime while giving the woman a small bow.

"I hope it does Sandaime Hokage. For both your own sake and those around you. I will not take kindly to deception or lies on your part. Nor will my son," replied Maleficent her cold regal tone that she used when addressing the people she disliked, but tolerated said people because it was necessary.

Her comment clearly made most of the people around the Hokage bristle in anger at the implied insult and threat to Konoha as a whole. Koharu, Danzo, and Homura had been very vocal with Hiruzen earlier on how to handle the woman in the belief that regardless of her power that she was nothing compared to the full might of the village. But Hiruzen had to remind them that she was a Daimyo of a growing, thriving island based country, which held people who loved her, and had resources Fire Country wanted.

Meaning any move to eliminate Maleficent would be bad all around for business for Fire Country and Konoha since the Fire Daimyo would have to make an example out of his Shinobi village if they did. Not to mention that Naruto himself was very attached to the woman, given her role as his surrogate Mother, and would not doubt unleash all of the Biju's power on Konoha if they messed with the woman. Right now, this woman held a great deal of leverage, as well as power in more then just one field, and Konoha could not afford to do anything that would put the village in jeopardy.

She had them all by the balls and they all knew it.

"Yes. I will be sure to remember that for the future. You must be tired from your travels. Perhaps staying at one of Konoha's more well known and regal establishments befitting a Daimyo would suit your needs," replied Hiruzen with a gentle smile while Maleficent smirked at him.

"I am tired. So is my son. Traveling for so long in such a small place has left us bored and weary. I think it would be best if you directed or had someone escort us directly to the Namikaze Estates immediately," replied Maleficent with the smile on Hiruzen now leaving him.

"The Namikaze Estates?" asked Hiruzen while Jiraiya looked nervous and the Shinobi Elders scowled further at the mention of the late Yondaime Hokage's home.

Tsunade and Kakashi didn't know why they were acting this way. They had all seen the house in passing and it looked just fine to them.

"Yes. It would have been my son's home if his biological parents were still alive. As I am this boy's Mother legally, we are both entitled to live in such a place for the duration of our stay here. Unless of course, _something_ happened to the house, and we are not allowed to enter it?" answered Maleficent while Hiruzen coughed slightly.

"No, its not that Maleficent-sama. Its just that...well...," replied Hiruzen before looking at Jiraiya for help.

"The Namikaze Estates is sealed off. Jiraiya performed the necessary sealing to keep any and all _outsiders_ from entering," said Koharu in an _almost_ rude tone toward Maleficent.

"Really? Sealed off? And when was this exactly?" asked Maleficent with Jiraiya looking a tad more nervous while Tsunade and Kakashi frowned since this was new to them.

"Since the Kyuubi attack," answered Homura while Hiruzen scowled at his two former teammates for answering her in such a rude tone.

"I see. Well, since Jiraiya sealed the house up, perhaps he would show us the way to the home, and properly _unseal_ the Namikaze Estates. As a show of good faith toward us and his student's _only _son," offered Maleficent with Jiraiya now sweating heavily and not just because of Tsunade shooting him a glare.

"He can't," replied Koharu while acting like she was the Daimyo here if the tone of her voice was any indication.

"And why not? Doesn't Jiraiya have the power to unseal the house just as easily as he sealed it?" asked Maleficent while Naruto glared at the fools in front of him.

"He does, but the man has orders _NOT_ to unseal it no matter what unless _WE_ along with the Civilian Council, the Clan Heads, and the Hokage _ALL_ say otherwise on the matter," replied Homura with his own snooty attitude getting on Naruto's nerves.

"And the fact most if not _ALL_ the people among the governing body of Konoha hate my guts, it will be a cold day in Hell before they all agree to give such an order," remarked Naruto coldly while the Shinobi Elders sent him a sharp glare, but it was cut short when they saw Maleficent glaring at them with a far more menacing stare.

"On the contrary, I'm sure everyone in Konoha's governing body would want you to live in your family's home," countered Hiruzen while trying to be diplomatic and polite to the boy in order to slowly win him over.

"Of course they would...for a heavy price of some kind," remarked Maleficent since she knew the game here in terms of the whole "give and take" tug of war that was going to happen soon.

With the Namikaze Estates being the preverbal rope at the moment.

"And what if we did? Would you prefer for the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to never set foot in his family home? Ever?!" asked Koharu while Hiruzen began to sweat heavily at the rude disrespectful way his teammate was talking to this woman.

"Koharu! Watch your tone! This is a Daimyo. What is wrong with you?" asked Hiruzen while Koharu merely "sniffed" in disgust as she stared at Maleficent's form and ignored the Sandaime about protocol when dealing with a Feudal Lord.

Koharu was one of the oldest if not _THE _oldest woman in Konoha and she would damn well be respected for it regardless of the title this _other_ woman in front of her held. She was a Shinobi Elder, had lived through many wars, battles, and had earned her right to act anyway she chose to act in front of others.

"First, my son has a name, and you _WILL_ address him by it properly. If you do not, I will rip your body apart from the inside out, and ensure you are still very much _alive_ when it happens," threatened Maleficent while glowering at the old woman, who looked like she was just told her entire life was meaningless, and should just go jump into a ditch to die.

"How dare you! I will not-ACK!" exclaimed Koharu before she found herself unable to talk due to her mouth being magically stitched together at the lips with a green magical wire that materialized out of thin air.

That was done for two reasons. One, because the old woman's voice annoyed the dark witch to no end. And two, it was to make her point get across in order to show she was not kidding in the slightest when make such a threat.

Needless to say...it worked!

"Second, you are under the belief that you have the authority to deny my son his family home, and that you can stop us from entering it. You are mistaken," replied Maleficent in a now sweet tone though the threat of using her power never left.

"And what do you mean by that?" asked/demanded Homura while trying to calm down Koharu currently glaring and screaming through what was once her mouth at Maleficent.

"Fuinjutsu, while a skilled art unto itself, does not belong to Konoha, or to Jiraiya of the Sannin in terms of abilities. My son is quite skilled in Fuinjutsu too. While not quite up to the level of his Father, his Father's teacher, or biological Mother...he is indeed talented for his age. Not surprising since the art is practically in his blood. Even if Naruto doesn't unlock the seals needed to enter the house, my power certainly will, and after I do...let's just say Jiraiya will be in need of medical attention once I am through with him should I see his form in passing," replied Maleficent giving the Sannin a dirty look.

"There will be no need for that. Jiraiya will unseal the house immediately. If the pervert doesn't, I will _make _him do it for you. I don't know why sensei agreed to such terms for having the house sealed, but it was wrong!" replied Tsunade while giving both her former sensei and teammate a threatening look.

"I would prefer he not. I will remove the seals myself. I have spent a great deal of time studying the complexity of seals along side my son. My power allows me to handle such things with ease. No seal is safe from me. The Curse Seal that Orochimaru gave to Anko is proof of that," replied Maleficent with the group of Konoha Shinobi stiffening at the mention of the rogue Sannin, but also what she mentioned about undoing any Fuinjutsu she came across.

The Hyuuga Clan would not like that. Not one bit. Especially among the members from the more traditional sect of the Main family.

"I will escort you and Naruto-kun to his family's home. Its the least I could do. It will give us a chance to talk," replied Tsunade while giving the Hokage and the others a look to not interfere.

"Very well. Let's go," commanded Maleficent while she and her group followed Tsunade through Konoha to the Namikaze Estates.

All the while ignoring the looks, whispers, and comments of the people around them.

"Look it's the evil one and the demon spawn!"

"To think she would come here with the beast. They should both be killed now while here in the village."

"Who knows what evil they have brought with them? I'm telling my children to stay as far away from them as possible."

"Fools. Every last one of them," remarked Naruto behind his bandaged face currently hiding his whisker marks and snarl he was sporting at their words.

"Ignore them my son. They are all weak and helpless idiots. Their words have no power unless you let them," replied Maleficent while making sure her voice was heard by those fools mentioned by her son.

If only to gauge their response.

And respond they did. One of the more angrier individuals, who was slightly intoxicated man had picked up a rock next to his foot, and threw it at Maleficent. To this drunk man's credit, his aim was on target, and would have hit the woman if not for quite a few simple yet important factors.

One, Maleficent would _never _let such an object hit her.

Two, Tsunade would have prevented it if Maleficent couldn't, and she was in range to stop the rock from hitting the horned woman.

Three, Haku was currently covering Maleficent's back, and her exceedingly sharp senses were ensuring nothing happened to the woman's flank while she was around.

Four, Naruto was on the side where the rock had been thrown, and the boy wasn't going to tolerate _anyone_ or _anything_ hitting his Mother.

Hence why Naruto had unsealed Kubikiribocho in a flash and easily destroyed the rock while shooting a large amount of killing intent at the foolish drunkard.

"Do that again and I will hang you by your own intestines while you are still very much alive," threatened Naruto while he saw the man piss himself before running off while screaming about demons returning to Konoha to unleash Hell.

Or something along the lines of his drunken gibberish. It was hard to tell with the man's slurring.

"A bit over the top, don't you think?" asked Tsunade while seeing Naruto putting he blade on his shoulder and glared at her.

"Not in the slightest. If anything, I was too merciful to the fool, and let him live with all his limbs intact," remarked Naruto while Maleficent smiled at him.

"Such a loving child. He is every Mother's dream in having such an ideal son. So caring. So devoted. So protective. You missed out on something wonderful Tsunade-san. Never have I met someone like this child," commented Maleficent, as she would have crushed the drunkard with her power, but he ran away in fear, and terror from Naruto's actions.

She would allow the fool to live in such fear for now...before putting a curse on him to one day explode suddenly in front of any loved ones he possessed.

"So you've said," replied Tsunade while ignoring the jab as best she could at her own cowardice.

"And so I will say time and time again for as long as I wish," said Maleficent before she came across the Namikaze Estates with Tsunade gritting her teeth to hold back the anger she felt right now.

"Here it is. The Namikaze Estates in all its glory," said Tsunade while Maleficent walked up to the large house and touched the structure with a single index finger.

And saw line after line of seals covering the house emerge seemingly out of nowhere. All of the complexity one would see done by a professional Fuinjutsu Master to keep any and all unwanted guests out of the home of the Yondaime Hokage.

And yet with a simple flick of Maleficent's wrist like she was turning a key put in a lock, such complexity counted for nothing. The seals all around the house deteriorated as if someone was melting them with acid, but did not leave a single mark on the actual house itself. With another wave of her finger, Maleficent opened the locked door, and stepped inside with the rest of the group while Tsunade just stood there with her jaw dropping to the ground.

"Well? Aren't you going to come in? You did say you wanted to talk to us a bit, correct? No sense in having prying eyes and ears currently lurking in the shadows knowing what we are going to discuss," commented Maleficent while Tsunade just nodded before she walked into the house.

'This woman just destroyed Jiraiya's multilayered Fuinjutsu like it was a complete joke! If she could do that to his seals, then she could destroy the Hyuuga's Cage Bird Seal, or any other kind for that matter,' thought Tsunade while Maleficent looked around with Naruto to see it was dusty.

Not surprising given how it had been unused for well over a decade.

With another touch of magic, which spread throughout the home, dust pans, brooms, and other cleaning appliances came to life before moving to clean the house. Again, the mere sight of all these objects coming to life on their own when all logical things in the world, if not the Universe say is impossible makes Tsunade gap like a fish. A sight, which both Naruto, and Maleficent take a measure of satisfaction in seeing such a look on the Senju woman's face.

"Sit. We have much to talk about," commanded Maleficent once the couches and chairs in the living room were cleaned up enough to sit down on.

"Where do we start?" asked Tsunade while seeing Naruto looking at the stairs with the desire to see what it looked like.

"From the beginning. Naruto, you can either stay for this, or go upstairs to see the rooms there," replied Maleficent since she had an idea of what he wanted to see.

The bedroom that would and should have been his to call his own.

"I'll be upstairs," said Naruto while Haku went to inspect the kitchen.

"I will clean out the spoiled food in the kitchen area," stated Haku before she entered that part of the home.

"Naruto reminds me a lot of Minato. From what I was told, he acted a lot like Kushina in terms of pranks, and has a seemingly never ending supply of energy," remarked Tsunade while Maleficent nodding to that statement since she knew such a thing was the case with children taking after their parents in more ways then one.

"I imagine so despite him never knowing about his parents. Other then the fact they gave their lives to keep his from being extinguished that fateful night," replied Maleficent with the Sannin wincing since the village's governing body had chosen to erase the Uzumaki Clan from the history books and bury many of their heritage underneath Konoha itself.

"I was not around when they decided to do that. I yelled at sensei when I did and told him he had no right to allow such a travesty to happen," said Tsunade while Maleficent said nothing in response.

The snake on her shoulder hissed slightly at the Sannin with glowing eyes before hissing again.

"I would hope you did yell at him. Considering he buried the past of your Grandmother's clan that you could have fought to keep alive _IF_ you had stayed in Konoha to raise the boy," commented Maleficent since Anko had just told her what she already knew.

This woman in front of the former Fairy Queen was part Uzumaki with more of it being awakened if Maleficent felt the woman was worthy of it.

"Please stop your Majesty. I did not come here to trade words with you, only to get harsh verbal jabs aimed at my person. I wanted to talk about Naruto. About what will happen once the Chuunin Exams are over," said Tsunade with Maleficent narrowing her eyes at her.

"There is nothing to talk about regarding the aftermath of the Chuunin Exams. Once _MY_ son wins his match against Hatake Kakashi, _MY_ child will be returning home with _ME_ back to Wave. Konoha will have nothing to do with Naruto. _Ever!_" replied Maleficent sharply at the Sannin with Tsunade shaking her head.

"Sarutobi-sensei and my teammate Jiraiya will not allow that to happen," said Tsunade, as she told Maleficent the backup plan her sensei, and Jiraiya had created in the event Naruto won his match.

"I see. Sore losers to the very end it would seem. I will handle that particular matter in due time," replied Maleficent before sensing her son's despair and decided to end this talk short.

Getting the hint, Tsunade got out of her chair, bowed to the horned woman, and left with the intent of returning again soon to speak further with Maleficent.

With the Senju woman gone, Maleficent moved her way upstairs quickly to attend to her son's sudden distress, and found herself standing in the bedroom that would have been Naruto's during his early childhood. A childhood he was denied. A childhood that was killed before it had a chance to live past a single night. She walked into the room and stood behind Naruto, who was on his knees, crying in front of the crib that would have been his had both, or one of his parents been alive to raise the boy. The entire room was filled with wallpaper meant to be pleasing to an infant's eyes. Baby toys, baby clothes, and other items were around the room. All of it had collected dust of course, but the fact it was even here meant his parents truly wanted him, and for more then just a vessel for the Biju he now contained.

"They made this room for me. Just for me," whispered Naruto through his crying while Maleficent put a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Yes they did. They wanted you Naruto. Being the future vessel of Kyuubi had nothing to do in their decision to conceive. Their hand was forced in that matter. You know this from what I showed you earlier in your childhood, remember?" said Maleficent while her son nodded.

"I know. I just...seeing it here. Seeing their love for me in this room...," replied Naruto while he tried to keep the tears from escaping his eyes.

"I know my son. This room was built soon after learning you were growing within your Mother's womb. It was built with love. It was built in the belief you would be living here in this house. Nurtured. Protected," said Maleficent while Naruto gripped the cradle, his hands making the wood creak slightly and felt his Mother grip his shoulder even tighter.

"The one who attacked my family. The ones who used the aftermath to make me suffer. I want them all dead. _Every_. _Last_. _One_!" said Naruto furiously with Maleficent nodding in full agreement with him.

"And they will my son. I promise you. Those responsible for your pain and suffering _will_ face your judgment soon enough," said Maleficent while Naruto slowly regained control of himself.

(Konoha Streets-One Week Later)

Naruto was walking among the populace with a masked Haku right beside him. They had begun inspecting the various investments his Father and Mother had left behind prior to their deaths. They had gone to the Hokage Tower to get the documents of said places and had been met with some resistance. Mostly by those who supported the Civilian Council and the Shinobi Elders in wanting to deny him the sealed documents that were rightfully his to claim.

After a few well deserved black eyes, broken bones, and death like states later by the use of senbon needles via Haku...the said documents were in his possession.

"Half of these business are in financial disarray. They haven't shown profit in quite a few years," remarked Naruto after going to over half a dozen shops, stores, and other places in the market district.

"Not surprising since the Civilian Council's Merchant Guild Representative fired many of the more competent employees and replaced them with his own handpicked people. They didn't know how to manage or run the shops they were in charge of from the start. In fact, many were only their because they were married into the man's own family, or they were owed a favor," remarked Haku, as she had helped him do quite a bit of digging on why so many had been fired and replaced by incompetent employees.

As it turned out, the Yondaime Hokage was a smart man when it came to making proper business decisions, and his wife Uzumaki Kushina had an eye for people who could make sure said businesses were running properly. _Unfortunately_, the problem with this was that his business decisions, and hiring of personally selected people for these jobs cut out the Civilian Council along with the Merchant Guild Representative in the process. Something that had made the Yondaime Hokage disliked by many on the Civilian Council and even the Shinobi Elders since they were not benefiting from his business decisions despite the well known fact neither side had ever helped him in making those business decisions in the first place.

Normally, the Hokage would have to go through such channels, but that didn't happen here since these businesses were owned by the Yondaime prior to becoming Hokage, and thus did not have to answer to the Merchant Guild in any shape or form. When the man and his wife, who he made co-owner for these businesses died, the Civilian Council's Merchant Guild Representative swooped down like a scavenger did upon a dead body to reap the spoils of the contents within. Taking control of the businesses under the guise of a temporary owner/manager until the time came for when the _true_ owner following the Yondaime and his wife claimed the businesses back. Something the Sandaime Hokage had told them would happen in the future.

Just not the when.

Of course, the Merchant Guild Representative did not want any of these businesses to be returned to their "rightful" owner as they were, and made plans to destroy them slowly from the inside out. The plan was to make these businesses to _lose_ profit, weaken them from within through firing the good employees, and then replacing them with bad ones.

When the "rightful" owner(s) came back to Konoha, as the Sandaime Hokage had kept hinting during that meeting, the Civilian Council's Merchant Guild Representative would make it seem like the businesses were not doing well since the Yondaime Hokage's death. They would make up excuses. Simple excuses to why the businesses were collapsing on themselves. Afterwards, the Merchant Guild Representative would simply offer to buy these struggling businesses for a cheap price, and then reverse the damage done. All the while cornering the market on the goods of these stores even further and then fattening his already obese wallet even beyond the level it had been after taking over.

Naruto made a mental note to slice the man in half. The only question when doing it was if he should do it vertically? Or horizontally?

Decisions. Decisions.

As for the other things Naruto's family owned like apartments and even sweet shops, the boy had found the Uzumaki symbol on many of these places had been covered up. Some of them discreetly with banners or just plain removed by being burned off if necessary. Done by the various people who were running these places. Some of whom had claimed to be the "friends" with the Yondaime and his wife for years when they were growing up.

It had made Naruto's blood boil inside and decided to make these people suffer for their years of deceit.

How? By liquidating these places. From firing every employee in the shops, closing them down, and destroying the apartment buildings despite protests from the people living in them. Some of the buildings were in what was now the slums and the Red Light District of Konoha _before_ it became either of those things. Again, it was all through the Civilian Council with the help of the Shinobi Elders that this came to pass, and wanting to make the value of the property of these places become so low that each could be bought cheap when approaching the owner of these places.

So it was very much a shock to learn Naruto was the said owner now and he had other plans in mind.

Naruto felt it was best to leave these people with nothing. They left him with nothing for years growing up. So in return, he would leave them with nothing. Without these places to do business, Konoha's internal financial strength would plummet, and make the village suffer.

Even the Orphanage that Naruto lived in had been once part of the property his parents owned since they loved Konoha and wanted to protect the future generations who would grow up without any parents to call their own. Ironic when you consider how Naruto had become one such orphan and received none of the desired love from this village in the process. The Matron, who had been the one in charge during Naruto's time there, and was successfully pardoned by the Councils upon pressuring the Sandaime Hokage had greeted the boy with politeness. It had sickened Naruto to see this woman, who at one point had beaten him with a cane simply because his starving body compelled the boy at one point in his life while living here to eat more then he was barely given that one day.

Even when Naruto saw her after all these years, the cane she used to walk around with was _still_ slightly stained in dry blood. _HIS_ dried blood. The Matron for all her claims of being apologetic for her actions, had not even bothered to _clean off_ the blood from the cane, or destroyed it out of shame for what she had done. Naruto knew that deep down for all of her apologetic nonsense, this filthy woman for a Matron did this to show off to people like it was some kind of badge of honor. How she beat the "Kyuubi brat" when in her care and into submission. Naruto knew she boasted about it to people until recently when it was discovered just _who_ she had beaten with that cane.

Naruto made an example of her by giving the woman a choice. She could either watch as the Orphanage was burned down? As it was his to do by right of ownership of the land and the building. _OR_, she could simply kill herself publicly for all of the village to see? If she chose the second option, the Orphanage itself would be allowed to stand with all the children living there still have a place to stay.

The woman's death happened three days ago despite the Hokage pleading for Naruto to reconsider his actions regarding the Matron. Naruto had told the Sandaime that had he done his job correctly in killing the woman instead of pardoning her from the start, this wouldn't have been an issue. Some on the Councils claimed that he had no proof of the alleged abuse he suffered when brought before them to answer for his actions.

Naruto's proof was in the cane, which he kept for this moment, and threw down at his feet for all of them to see. He then questioned the various Clan Heads, ignoring the Councils, and the Hokage in the process about what they thought on the matter. That if they would allow such a thing to happen to their children? To allow their children's dried blood to be stained on this item like his own had been? To allow a piece of their children to be on this cane, which the Matron used to walk around with, and boast of her actions without any form of punishment?

Needless to say, the matter concerning Naruto's actions was dropped, and the cane itself was obliterated right in front of them by the Uzumaki with a simple stomp of his sandaled foot.

"My Father would be rolling over in his grave if he saw Konoha now. I can only imagine he wouldn't know whether to cry from sadness or to yell out in rage," commented Naruto while stopping when he saw a group of Genin coming his way.

It was Genin teams 8 & 10 with both of their Jounin senseis right behind them. The group of Konoha Shinobi had stopped when they saw Naruto and Haku since they only saw him individually in passing and even then it was at a distance. It was hard to get close to the blonde because they only remembered him briefly from their childhood, again in simple passing, and also because many adults at the time had done everything in their power to keep all the children away from Naruto.

"Hello Naruto-san," offered Kurenai in an attempt to start a civilized conversation.

"Hello to you Jounin-san. I take it the three out of the six Genin here are yours," replied Naruto while motioning to the six Genin in front of the woman.

"Yes. First, my name is Yuhi Kurenai, and these three here are my Genin. This is Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru," offered Kurenai while motioning to the Inuzuka and his dog.

"Hey," replied Kiba with a shrug since he didn't really care while the puppy on his head let out a simple bark.

"This is Aburame Shino," continued Kurenai to the stoic trench coat and glasses wearing boy who just nodded lightly.

'I've seen paint peeling off walls show more expression then him,' thought Naruto before he focused on the shy and now blushing girl next to the Aburame.

Strange. The girl seemed...familiar to him. But where was the familiarity from?

"And this one is Hyuuga Hinata," finished Kurenai though Naruto could tell the woman considered the Hyuuga girl to be extra special.

"Hello," said Hinata before giving him a polite bow.

"These three Genin are mine," replied the man with the beard and cig in his mouth.

"Troublesome. I'll skip things along because Asuma-sensei will drag this out for us. I'm Shikamaru, this is Choji, and the troublesome blonde haired girl next to him is Ino," said Shikamaru before he was hit in the back of the head by his angry female teammate and was now sporting a massive lump for his troubles.

"Stop calling me that you lazy deadbeat!" exclaimed Ino while Asuma sighed since this was becoming a common theme between them.

'Dieting much?' thought Haku, as she saw the girl was mostly skin and bones with signs the platinum blonde haired kunoichi was dieting for sometime.

It was not a good look for the girl in Haku's opinion.

"It is nice to meet you. You are all..._unique_ in a sense," said Naruto politely since he did not know how to address the six Genin or two Jounin in front of him.

"Thanks," replied Choji with a friendly smile since the blonde boy had not called him out on his weight.

"The Chuunin Exams is coming up soon. Are all of you participating in it?" asked Naruto curiously while they all nodded.

"Yep! I'm going to go all the way to the Finals and become a Chuunin!" exclaimed Kiba with his puppy currently sitting on top of his head barking in agreement.

"Kiba! What have I told you about boasting and arrogance?" said Kurenai in a scolding manner.

"What? Its true! I'm going to win. Provided that Shino or Hinata don't screw things up for me!" protested Kiba while Shino did not respond, but Hinata winced, and looked down a bit at basically being considered deadweight by her own teammate.

It made Naruto narrow his eyes for a second.

"I think it is the other way around Kiba-san. They should be more concerned about you and you don't screw things up for them," countered Naruto while Kiba looked angry and Hinata looked surprised while blushing a little.

Shino continued to remain stoic. Seriously, the boy needed to express himself more!

"What did you just say?" demanded Kiba while getting in Naruto's face while Haku had secretly brought out some senbon needles to stab the Inuzuka in the neck should he try anything on her Master.

"K-Kiba stop! You are not setting a good example here," protested Hinata while trying to bring her teammate back, but his hand knocked it away harshly, and he glared back at his wincing teammate.

The Inuzuka's clawed nails had scratched her arm up pretty badly in that one swipe aimed at the girl's person. In fact, Naruto now smelled the faint scent of blood coming from the Hyuuga girl's arm.

"I'm not setting a good example? This kid just insulted me! I'm not going to take it lying down and you will do well to know your place if you know what is good for you!" stated Kiba since he felt any kind of insult to him was an insult to his male and Inuzuka pride.

Any further wordage between the two Genin from team 8 was silenced by a hand striking out quickly and grabbing Kiba by the throat before lifting him off the ground. All eyes now followed the hand that was now connected to the Inuzuka's throat, which led to the shoulder of a body, and the body itself belonged to a blonde haired boy named Uzumaki Naruto.

"You are the one who should know better Inuzuka Kiba. As for the insult, I only directed it at you because of your own disrespect toward the Hyuuga, and the Aburame Heir when boasting about your future greatness. Though something tells me that you are all hype in terms of skill. That you are all hot air. All _gas_ and no substance. All _bark_ and no _bite_! My money would be on the quiet ones being the most successful. The ones who know when to speak and when not to speak. If anyone is going to get your team killed, it will be _you_, and you alone who does it. Not the Hyuuga girl. Not the Aburame boy. Not your Jounin sensei, who is slowly gathering chakra to cast a disabling Genjutsu on me should I not release your throat in the next few seconds. So before she does, I just want to part a few choice words before I drop you on the ground. Know when to speak. Know when to shut up. And from the smell of you...know when to take a bath. You stink and it is making me want to puke," replied Naruto before lightly throwing the Inuzuka back and watching the boy stumble a bit prior to hitting the ground in a clumsy fashion.

'Wow! He just lifted Kiba up with one arm like he was nothing. How did this kid do that?' thought Ino in awe while Asuma looked at Kurenai and shook her head to not use what she planned to use on Naruto.

"My apologies Shino-san. Hinata-san. But your teammate is...well he is rather reckless. It can and will get him killed along with the two of you if not careful," replied Naruto with Shino nodding slightly and Hinata nervously did the same though she was still blushing at him.

Curious. Most curious. He would have to speak to his Mother about the Hyuuga girl's behavior.

"It is all right Naruto-san. Our teammate did indeed act rashly and was insulting to us. I preferred your intervention here today over this becoming an issue on a life threatening mission," said Shino while one of his insects had landed on Naruto to inspect the boy's chakra and report back to the Aburame in secret.

Only to hear from the insect that Naruto's chakra levels were beyond anything it had ever had before today.

"Agreed. I won't keep you. Good day to the eight of you," replied Naruto before bowing and motioning for Haku to follow.

"Who do you think you are going you bastard?!" questioned Kiba before Naruto could get three feet away from them.

"That's enough out of you Kiba! Don't say something you will come to regret later on," said Kurenai while Kiba continued to glare in a feral like manner at Naruto's back with his Inuzuka instincts overpowering his common sense.

"No! Its not enough. He disrespected me. Throws me around like I am nothing! I am not going to take that from some...some...some Momma's Boy demon brat!" exclaimed Kiba angrily, which makes Naruto stop walking away, causes Kurenai to glare at the Inuzuka, and Hinata to gasp in shock at her teammate's choice of words.

Shikamaru now groans loudly while muttering troublesome, Choji is looking confused since he doesn't understand, and Asuma just face palms. Ino is looking fearfully between the two warring sides since the tension was now getting thick and knows this could get very ugly very fast.

Only Shino remained stoic, but if you looked carefully along the eyes, you would see the small tiniest formations of a scowl on his face.

"What did you just say about me?" asked Naruto before slowly turning his head to look at the arrogantly smirking Inuzuka.

"That you are nothing more then a Momma's Boy and demon brat! I know all about what you are from my Mother since she had to address the entire clan about your arrival here to our village. How can you saw yourself a guy when you cling to your Mother's dress at the first sign of a shadow? How can you cling to your _Mommy_ every chance you get? What a sissy! And don't get me started on that _ugly_ thing you call a Mother. She looks like someone only a _demon_ could love!" taunted Kiba while Naruto narrowed his eyes at him and Haku moved to intervene before the blonde put a hand in front of her to block the advance.

"Kiba! That was a rude thing to say! You do not insult a Daimyo or her son! Apologize right now!" commanded Kurenai while Kiba refused.

"Shall I beat him senseless Naruto-sama?" asked Haku while intending to do just that if her Master gave the order.

"Thank you for the offer Haku, but no. This insult was of a personal nature and naturally when dealing with things of a extremely person nature, I must deal with it _personally _to show others the ramifications of such actions," replied Naruto in a deathly calm and cold tone.

"I'm so scared. What are you going to do? Call your _Mommy_ on me?" taunted Kiba while smirking at Naruto in trying to bait the Uzumaki into fighting him so he could prove his dominance over the blonde boy.

"No. If I did, my Mother would most likely turn you inside out, and proceed to rip away the various parts of your body clean off. One muscle and blood vessel at a time I might add. Her intervention will not be needed here," said Naruto in a calm and serious tone that told the adults and the more smarter Genin of the group he wasn't joking about what his Mother could and would do to anyone who crossed her.

'Do not let our Mothers meet. Do not let our Mothers meet,' thought Shikamaru since he suspected Naruto's Mother was indeed a scary woman and if she met his scary Mother in the future...he had to hold back a shudder.

"Ha! Such a sissy boy. Not like a real man like me!" boasted Kiba before he was punched hard right in the stomach with enough force to make him go right off the ground.

Only to fall back down with vomit and blood soon coming out of his mouth.

'I didn't even see him move,' thought all the Konoha ninja watching on.

"If you are a real man Inuzuka Kiba, then why are you bent over like a little bitch?" asked Naruto in a very Momochi Zabuza like manner before walking away from the puking and heaving Inuzuka boy trying to focus on getting air into his lung without choking on what he was throwing up.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn Naruto-sama, but that _boy_ deserved worse then a single punch to the torso," remarked Haku while not understanding how her assigned Master would just land one punch, a really strong punch at that on Kiba, and just walk away like things were over.

"I did more then just land a punch on him Haku. That strike was infused with a small bit of my chakra. Not unlike those in the Hyuuga Clan do with their Gentle Fist Taijutsu they are known for. While I don't see the chakra points of the body like the Hyuuga do thanks to their Byakugan, I know the basic aspects of where to hit someone if I infuse a tiny bit of my chakra into their body.

"A tiny bit? With all due respect Naruto-sama, a tiny bit for you is roughly low Jounin level in terms of unleashing a tiny bit of chakra," remarked Haku with Naruto nodding since his chakra control while improved through repeated use of training in it, was still pretty crappy in comparison to others, and what they had in terms of control.

"I know. I also studied some of the things in the Uzumaki library back in the old ruins of Whirlpool before bringing it back to Nami. If I did everything correctly as I believe I did when striking the idiot, the force of the blow behind the punch, combined with the chakra I put into the hit on his stomach will cause several of his major internal organs, namely his intestinal track to suddenly become temporarily..._unstable_," replied Naruto with Haku looking at him in shock.

"You mean he will...?" asked Haku with Naruto nodding while smirking.

"Let's just say the fool is going to have a hard time going anywhere without releasing his bowls against his will. Not to mention his stomach won't be able to handle any kind of spicy food his clan likes to eat," answered Naruto with a smirk on his face.

"That move is indeed devastating. Whoever designed it was clearly a Master of Taijutsu," remarked Haku with Naruto smirking.

"Actually, the move is based on a prank designed to hit someone with enough force when in public that the target craps their pants. It was never truly perfected in the way of being used as a form of silent pranking because almost all Uzumaki Clan members have high chakra reserves and thus could not be used as a more discreet prank. Now crushing and humiliating your enemy in a single blow openly? _That_ is a different story all together," replied Naruto with a grin on his face while Haku sweat dropped behind her mask.

'Are all Uzumaki Clan more devastating attacks based off pranking ideas?' thought Haku while she walked with her Master.

"The Genin teams we saw back there...what was your take on them?" asked Naruto in a more serious tone since he felt an additional perspective on them might prove beneficial.

"They were sadly not up to my expectations of what ninja should be Naruto-sama. They were weak. Whiny. The only competent ones among them were the Aburame, the Nara, and even the shy Hyuuga girl," answered Haku with Naruto raising an eyebrow at her.

"How did you know one of them was a Nara?" asked Naruto curiously.

"The laziness in his posture was a dead giveaway. Not to mention the hair style and the way he talked are classic signs of someone being from the Nara Clan," answered Haku with Naruto smirking.

"Of course. Though I am surprised you would say the Hyuuga has potential. I agree with you that she does, but I didn't expect you would choose her among the group," remarked Naruto while Haku shrugged.

"Instinct. I see a lot of myself in her. Before Zabuza-sama trained me. There is potential in the Hyuuga. Whoever has trained the girl up to this point is not doing it correctly. It is not her sensei's fault. More like the girl's family has Hinata-san learning in a way that does not allow her to grow stronger. Far from it from what I have seen. I sense Hinata-san is trying and wants to release her full potential, but she is afraid to do so, and has been training in secret," said Haku with Naruto frowning.

"Theory?" asked Naruto in a serious tone.

"Best guess? Hinata-san's clan does not or rather will not approve her going against the traditions they have setup for themselves. Something I'm sure the girl's Jounin sensei has been trying to remedy when training her team to help Hinata grow stronger. However, I do question Kurenai-san's judgment in having her Genin team participate so soon after they have been made a Genin team after just a few months," answered Haku with Naruto nodding in full agreement since they were too green for such an event.

"I agree. They are not ready. The Aburame is, but without two competent ninja to assist him with the same level of commitment, he cannot advance. The Hyuuga girl is still too shy. If she were to participate now, I have little doubt another Genin team from another village with more experience would crush her team, and the end result would not be so merciful. As for the Inuzuka in the group...he will be the cause of their downfall," added Naruto while his eyes now narrowed at the thought of Hinata or Shino suffering because their arrogant and boastful teammate decided to act stupid.

Unacceptable.

"Will your attack on the Inuzuka prevent them from competing?" asked Haku curiously while Naruto shrugged.

"Unknown. At the very least, it will put the team at risk of being eliminated from the start depending on the first part of the test administered," answered Naruto with Haku nodding since she had heard about the Chuunin Exams from Zabuza and how each Shinobi village that hosted them was different, but the first part was usually the least dangerous.

(Namikaze Estates)

Maleficent frowned at the Hokage currently sitting across from her while his two ANBU were flanking the old man. It was bad enough the Sandaime Hokage was in this house, but it was even worse in bringing his two minions along when they were not welcome in the slightest. The old Kage claimed to be here on business, but Maleficent knew better, and kept herself well out of arms length from him in terms of distance.

"You want Naruto to take your Genin test?" questioned Maleficent with a raised eyebrow while sounding curious as to why the Hokage would do this.

Aside from make the boy a Konoha Shinobi and fall under his authority. Something she already knew, but decided to humor herself regardless.

"Yes. While Naruto clearly has had ninja training thanks to your intervention, he is still by law of any land a child. If Kami forbid something were to happen to you before he became a full grown adult, Naruto would be denied all of this once again," said Hiruzen with Maleficent nodding since she knew that part was true.

"I take it there is more to it then that," commented Maleficent while Hiruzen looked a bit miffed by her mind able to see through his excuse.

"Politically? Yes. Konoha cannot in good faith have one of its Jounin combat a child in an exhibition match during the Chuunin Exams. It would look bad on our part if we did. So if Naruto were to take our exam and _pass_, he would be made a legal adult," replied Hiruzen with Maleficent smirking at him.

"Not to mention preventing your ninja village from looking like a bunch of child abusers to your clients and the other Daimyos should they start asking questions about why a Jounin was fighting my son. Though you already were a ninja village filled with child abusers when Naruto was running for his life all those years ago," remarked Maleficent with Hiruzen looking more upset by that.

"Even still, for this match to be officially legal, Naruto _must_ become a ninja, and adult in the eyes of this village to ensure there are no ramifications for _anyone_ agreeing to this fight," said Hiruzen while secretly saying "you could be blamed too!" in the hopes she would understand this had to be done.

"Yes. It would be problematic for Wave, Naruto, and myself if we didn't handle this little problem before it could make itself known. Very well. Naruto will take your little exam. _However_, when he passes your exam, my son will _NOT _be made a ninja of this village," stated Maleficent with Hiruzen frowning.

"I don't understand," replied Hiruzen in confusion while Maleficent gave him a hard look.

"What is there to understand? My son will be made a ninja like we agreed, _but_ he will _not_ be a ninja of Konoha," replied Maleficent with Hiruzen frowning at her since he didn't expect the woman to make such a condition.

"And yet he is taking _our_ Genin Exam. In doing so would make him a ninja of Konoha," countered Hiruzen with Maleficent smiling at him.

"True he is taking your Genin Exam, but he is only taking it to avoid certain legal issues, which your own village will be blamed far more then myself if Naruto doesn't take it. You want only want him to take it so there is some legal claim of him being part of Konoha under your authority as a ninja. To undo the damage he has done to Konoha's Market District, the shops that have been closed, and the apartment buildings no longer filled with people because he kicked them all out into the street. As a ninja of Konoha, you could stop, if not delay the entire process, and keep what he wishes to take with him here in the village. Do you really think that I am stupid enough to agree to your silly little terms and not ensure my son stays away from Konoha no matter what? That I would not see the truth behind your little plan before it was fully spoken in a single sentence? You sadly overestimate yourself Sandaime Hokage," stated Maleficent while the serpent on her shoulder that was Anko hissed heavily at the Hokage.

"The boy belongs with Konoha," stated Hiruzen in an angry heated tone.

"You mean he belongs with his throat under the village's throat for them to press down on whenever they wish. To take their mindless and pointless anger out on him for any if not all problems they can't deal with properly," countered Maleficent with Hiruzen frowning further.

"If need be then yes. If Naruto must suffer for the good of Konoha, then he must suffer for the greater good. It is one of several sad purposes for being a Jinchuriki in this world," replied Hiruzen seeing Maleficent scowling at him.

"His Mother and Uzumaki Mito never had to face such cruelty. Why should Naruto face such hardships? And _alone_ I might add?" questioned Maleficent with Hiruzen not liking her line of question and probing into this matter.

Not only that, but how did she learn of Mito being the first Jinchuriki to Kyuubi?

"I don't have to answer to you about my methods," countered Hiruzen before Maleficent slowly rose like a giant shadow from her chair, which she had made into a throne of sorts with her magic, and glared heavily at the Hokage with rage in her eyes.

"When it comes to the matter of my _son_, I will question your methods, and I _will_ get my answers one way...or _another_!" declared Maleficent while the Hokage tensed and the two ANBU flanking the Hokage did the same.

"Naruto belongs to Konoha and you won't stop us from keeping him here to defend the village from its enemies," said Hiruzen before Maleficent did something neither he nor his ANBU expected her to do.

She laughed. She laughed an evil laugh all the while being covered in a green ethereal flame with the top of her staff now shining brightly.

_**"So you wish test me further, do you? Fine! Let us see how strong your convictions are about people making sacrifices when it is **__**you**__** or one of your clansmen who has to be made into such a sacrifice!"**_ declared Maleficent before she knocked the Hokage and the ANBU into a wall while keeping them pinned.

"What are you doing? Release us! Release us now or be charged with assault!" demanded Hiruzen, but was thrown back violently with his body leaving a heavy imprint in the wall, and made the Hokage cry out in pain.

_**"Silence! I think it is high time that you finally paid the price for your transgressions and manipulations against my son. I hereby put a **__**curse**__** upon you Sarutobi Hiruzen. A curse only **__**I**__** can remove should I wish it. A curse surrounding your **__**death**__**! A curse surrounding a **__**sacrifice**__**! On the very day of the Chuunin Exam Finals, a great event not expected will occur. Death itself will descend upon your precious Konoha and many will witness the horrors surrounding it. Friends will suffer and die. Loved ones will suffer and die. But what will befall **__**you**__** Sandaime Hokage is a death befitting of someone who preaches of making sacrifices for the greater good. For on this day, your death will be a sacrifice for the greater good, as you slay the white snake that once haunted your past, and has lurked in the shadows waiting to strike. You will bind your very soul to this white snake through the deity that controls the end of life itself and ensure this threat no longer plagues the world with his machinations for all time in a never ending battle in the belly of this deity!"**_ declared Maleficent while gazing into the orb on her staff and foreseeing the events of the future.

'What is she talking about? Is she referring to Orochimaru? Am I to slay my old student at the cost of my own life?' thought Hiruzen before he felt his body leave the wall and fall to the ground with his two ANBU.

"Now, leave my son's house Sarutobi Hiruzen. Leave Naruto's home and do not come back here. Not with these two ninja with you nor an army of them. For when the Chuunin Exam Finals occurs...you will need _all_ your ninja for the enemies eager to strike at you from the shadows," declared Maleficent ominously at his fallen form.

"You will pay for attacking us!" exclaimed one of the ANBU code named Boar, as he moved to strike her down.

"Boar no!" exclaimed Neko before she witnessed the ANBU with her get obliterated into dust by Maleficent's power.

"Get out. Do not come back here with another plot or scheme old man. If you do, I will put curse upon your clan, and the families of any ninja you send in your place. I will see to it that Konoha's clans fall, families are ruined, and all who seek to blame someone will blame _you_," said Maleficent while pointing at Hiruzen with a judgmental finger at his still downed form.

"This...This isn't over," whispered Hiruzen before he along with Neko left the house with wounded pride.

"Oh I do agree with you Sandaime Hokage. This is not over. Oh no. _This_...is only just the _beginning_!" stated Maleficent ominously now more to herself with her eyes glowing with equal ominous power.

The former Fair Queen would see to it that the Sandaime Hokage and all of his so called supporters, whether they followed his point of view, or simply did it until their own goal were realized through his machinations...suffered before death claimed them. Oh yes. She would bring about humility to this place and let them know the price for trying to use her precious son. And not just Konoha either. Oh no. They were just the first of several. First, Konoha would be made an example of. Then Suna for what they did to Gaara. Then Kiri for creating a pointless bloody civil war with people possessing unique bloodlines. Then Iwa and Kumo would follow should she find their actions to be just as bad if not worse.

And should she ever encounter Orochimaru or anyone else trying to fill the void made by her actions to just repeat what has been happening prior to her return? She would break them too.

Both her and Naruto.

(A/N: YAY! I updated. Hope you love it. The next one I think will be a small time skip with a hint of a flashback regarding everything just before I get to Naruto's fight with Kakashi. Hope this chapter was to your liking. Until next time...PEACE!)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9-Tests

Maleficent walked with her son to the Konoha Ninja Academy with her usual yet simple elegant grace while ignoring the people as they walked. Anko was in her snake form and around the dark witch's neck, keeping an eye out for idiots wishing to harm her Mistress, and son by extension for what he held. The blonde was not particularly happy when his Mother him he had to take Konoha's Genin test to graduate and legally become an adult in the eyes of this village as well as the rest of the world. Like Maleficent, he also felt it was Konoha's way of making him their property, to get him to fight for them, and be once more under Konoha's thumb.

Naruto was however, was grateful his exceedingly smart Mother was able to oppose that part of the plan the Sandaime Hokage had come up with. In fact, Naruto had discovered a headband in his biological Mother's room, which he had a strong feeling belonged to her, yet wasn't surprisingly worn by the woman. Most likely an important memento from a family member of the Uzumaki Clan when they were around his biological Mother gave it to her to one day wear to honor the clan when the time came to become a ninja.

A black cloth headband with the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki Clan on the metal plate.

"I am sorry Maleficent-sama, but we cannot have you in the room with your...son," said Chuunin Academy Instructor Umino Iruka politely to the tall horned woman.

"I have no intention of being in there with my son. I will be out here waiting for him. Are you going to be administering my son's test?" replied Maleficent with Iruka nodding.

"One of them yes. Myself and Mizuki-san will be the two Chuunin who will be testing him in what he knows about being a Shinobi. First, there will be a written test we have prepared for him to take so he will be there for awhile. Second, there are three standard Jutsus he must perform in order to graduate. If he can do all three, your son will become an official ninja," stated Iruka, as he saw Maleficent nodding, and turned to Naruto who nodded too.

"I'm ready Mother," said Naruto with determination before Maleficent nodded, kissed his forehead in a loving parental manner, and ushered him into the room before she turned a serious look at Iruka.

"I expect your tests to be _fair_ Iruka-san. If you or your fellow instructor decide to make my son fail _deliberately_, the two of you will be obliterated from this world. Do I make myself clear?!" said Maleficent in a stern no nonsense tone while Iruka had gone pale in the face and nodded.

"P-Perfectly clear Maleficent-sama. I would never sabotage a student's test. I would gain nothing from it," said Iruka since he had always tried to be fair with his students and give them a chance to grow.

"Good. Please pass on I said to the Academy Instructor already in the room. I would hate for one of you to do something foolish, which would result in _both _of you being punished for actions not your own, and suffering an unimaginably painful death in the process," said Maleficent with Iruka nodding and sweating heavily while understanding right now that it didn't matter if he did something to screw over Naruto or not.

He would be guilty by association if it happened and Iruka had already heard plenty of rumors surrounding this woman.

When Maleficent saw Iruka go into the room and shut the door, she motioned for Anko to slither closer to her mouth. Whispering a command to infiltrate the room her son went into, the dark witch watched Anko's snake form slither into the venting system for this floor. Anko herself stopped at a vent where she could watch things from a key point of view where Naruto was in plain sight in his chosen seat and could hear what was going on in the room between the two instructors.

"Can you believe it? We have to give this _thing_ a Genin test so he can become a ninja? Might as well give me a kunai to stab myself in the chest right now to spare myself the horror of living to see the moment," commented Mizuki in a whispery tone to Iruka.

"Shut up Mizuki! You may not like it, but that is the way things are right now. Besides, you should give the kid the benefit of the doubt. He seems nice enough. Just...give him a chance," whispered Iruka while fearing Maleficent would overhear this conversation with Mizuki, take instant offense, and skin them both alive.

"Give him a chance? Ha! I'd rather see this _thing_ fail, get killed, thrown into a ditch, and have the body set on fire. It would be better for everyone if this demon monstrosity were to die and we could all sleep peacefully at night knowing the demon is dead," whispered Mizuki while Anko hissed slightly though neither Chuunin could hear it.

Outside the assigned room, Maleficent narrowed her eyes in anger since everything Anko was seeing, and hearing was also being relayed back to her. She got the impression that Iruka wasn't one to cheat his students because they were different and at another point in time would have been a good role model for Naruto. Maybe a big brother perhaps?

Now Mizuki on the other hand? It was clear to Maleficent the man had no intention of being a honorable teacher in this classroom.

In any case, Maleficent would simply wait to see if either Mizuki, or Iruka were going to sabotage her son's test in any shape or form.

And if they did? They would know a Mother's wrath was not simply stories told to those disobedient and wild boys in order to keep them in line.

(Inside the Room-One Hour Later)

Naruto frowned at the questions in front of him. They weren't hard by any means when looking them over. Far from it. Itachi and Anko had been very through in their teachings in both the mental and physical qualities behind being a Shinobi. What was making him frown was the Genjutsu placed on his test. A complex one, which was reinforced by the tiny seal hidden on the back of the paper on the far left corner.

Someone wanted him to fail. He could see through the Genjutsu easily so when he wrote his answers, they were correct for the questions involved. Glancing up from his paper at the two Academy Instructors, it was clear to him that the one with the scar by the name of Iruka was not the one responsible for this. First, Mizuki had been the one to give him the test in the first place. Second, Naruto's sensory abilities like any Uzumaki, allowed him to sense people's emotions. While Karin's was much more powerful in that field, his own sensory ability was nothing to scoff at, and could easily tell Iruka was not generating any negative feelings toward him.

The scarred face Chuunin was nervous, fearful of his Mother, and a bunch of other things toward the blonde. But angry, hateful, and filled with dangerous intentions the man was not.

Mizuki on the other hand? The man had enough negative energy filled with malice in him to make an optimistic person go into a state of depression.

'Not to mention hearing the whispering between the two of them when they think I can't hear it doesn't exactly hide things,' thought Naruto while answering the final question on the test.

Putting the pencil down, Naruto's left index finger glided over the hidden seal, and fried the Genjutsu supported seal with his chakra also dispelling the Genjutsu at the same time. When Mizuki got up to collect the paper, Naruto saw the subtle smirk on the man's face, as if he knew something neither Iruka, nor his target knew, and grabbed the paper to give it a "brief glance" before giving it the needed "F" to fail the boy.

Only to see that every single answer Naruto put down was correct and the Genjutsu he put on the paper given to him by the Shinobi Elders with the seal to keep it anchored was gone. Trying to hold back his snarl, the man walked back with the paper in hand, and just handed it to Iruka to grade. Let the honest guy grade the damn test and pass the demonic abomination. He could still try to manipulate things in the physical exam the brat had yet to take. Without the physical exam being passed, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki couldn't graduate, and thus Mizuki would be well paid by the Shinobi Elders who wanted the boy to fail so they could use some additional laws Konoha had to make things go in their favor when the Chuunin Exams came around.

"A perfect score! Wow I'm impressed Naruto. You must have had some good teachers," commented Iruka with his tone showing he was impressed.

"Anko-sensei and Itachi-sensei were wonderful teachers. Everything I know about the basics of being a ninja I owe to them," stated Naruto politely with Anko smirking in her snake form and knew Itachi would do the same at being offered praise for their teaching of the boy.

It wasn't a lie. They really did push Naruto to be the best. Maleficent helped later on by transferring Momochi Zabuza's spirit/mind/soul/whatever she took from him into the boy too, but Konoha didn't need to know that. Nor that he had gotten some additional help from the remains found in Whirlpool among the Uzumaki Clan ruins.

"Okay. Well, the written test is done so that means you need to perform three Academy Jutsus we have here. First, is the henge," said Iruka while Naruto got up from the chair and stood in front of them before he turned into a perform copy of Itachi in his ANBU uniform.

"How's this?" asked Naruto with Itachi's voice.

"Impressive. It looks just like Itachi. Extra points for using Itachi's voice to make it even more realistic," said Iruka since he had met the Uchiha in passing years ago so he knew what Itachi looked and sounded like at the time.

"Next is the substitution. So switch with something else in the room," said Iruka while Naruto turned back into himself and switched with Mizuki before reversing it.

"How was that? asked Naruto with Iruka nodding.

"Good. You did it quickly, which is essential for a ninja should he have to move from one spot to the next using objects around him when switching," remarked Iruka while Mizuki grumbled before they got to the next portion.

"Now all you have to do is perform the Clone Jutsu. Make three of them to pass," said Mizuki while the blonde frowned for a second.

"Something wrong Naruto?" asked Iruka with Naruto shaking his head.

"No. Not really. Is it possible to perform an alterative to the Clone Jutsu? So long as it is an actual clone?" asked Naruto with Iruka frowning in thought before reading the rule book.

"I don't see why not. A clone is a clone. And there are various version of the Jutsu used by many ninja from different villages all over the Elemental Countries. Kiri uses the Water Clone Jutsu and Iwa has the Mud Clone Jutsu," remarked Iruka since the rules for graduating with the Clone Jutsu didn't really deny the one taking the test the actual use of an alternative clone so long as it could be done.

"Hold on Iruka. Just because it doesn't say he can use an alternative doesn't mean he can use an alternative. He _has_ to use the Clone Jutsu," offered Mizuki while Iruka frowned since he didn't want to do that to Naruto.

"Naruto, is there a reason you want to try a variation to the Clone Jutsu? I would think Itachi or Anko would have taught such a simple Jutsu to you during your time learning from them," said Iruka with Naruto nodding his head.

"Actually, the reason for the alternative is because I have too much chakra in my body. I have been using advanced chakra control exercises to help, but Itachi says it will take a major growth spurt before I can create a basic clone properly. Hence why the specific Jutsu I wish to use is perfect for someone like me. And since it is in fact a more _advanced_ version, I shouldn't be denied in using it if I have the ability to use it. As you said Iruka-san, a clone is a clone," replied Naruto with Iruka nodding in agreement.

"He's right Mizuki. Besides, last year we graduated a student who can't use chakra at all due to his underdeveloped chakra coils. It would be wrong to fail someone with _too much_ chakraand can apparently use a more advanced version of the Clone Jutsu. Show us what kind of version you can do Naruto and I will see how much credit to give," offered Iruka since he wanted to give the blonde boy a chance since his reason for being unable to use the basic was valid in itself.

They allowed Rock Lee to pass and he only had enough chakra to be alive.

'Damn it! I need the boy to fail!' thought Mizuki while secretly going through hand signs underneath the table and failed to sense the snake slithering out of the vent.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" exclaimed Naruto while making an army of solid clones that covered the room to the shock of Mizuki and Iruka while the former's reaction was mistake for shock when he was actually...in pain!

Why was Mizuki in pain? Because a certain python snake by the name of Anko bit his wrist before he could finish his hand sign to secretly disrupt Naruto's chakra when he was about to perform his Jutsu. However, when the Chuunin looked down at where he had been bitten the snake was already slithering away out of his sight, and hiding among the small army of Naruto's clones.

'Maleficent-sama, myself, and Naruto one. Mizuki-teme...big fat zero with a big fat bite on his wrist plus some potent venom that will kill the asshole within the hour without an antidote,' thought Anko since she had orders from Maleficent to take down the stupid jerk for a Chuunin due to what the fool clearly tried to do.

Like Naruto with his keen detection skills, Anko also saw the Genjutsu on the paper due to her own eyes behind enhanced for that type of thing, and relayed her findings to the dark witch. Knowing Mizuki was the one to give Naruto the test with the Genjutsu on it and was trying to pressure the boy into using the Clone Jutsu (which he couldn't do at all) in order to pass the physical exam, Maleficent felt the man needed to be taken care of in a discreet manner.

What better way to do it then to have Anko sink her fangs into the idiot for his troubles?

'I was bitten by a snake. But how? Who? Orochimaru-sama? No. He hasn't been in the village in years. But what snake could have gotten close enough to...of course! It was that bitch Anko. Rumor has it she could change her appearance into one due to the witch in the hallway. She must have been spying on me and somehow saw through my plans to make this brat fail. If I were try anything now, I would look the fool, and warrant an investigation that would reveal my actions to the others. It would make Konoha look bad and give the witch outside more ammunition against the village. While I don't care if she does anything to this place, I will be the scapegoat in all of it, and _I_ will be punished for what I was hired to do. Those Shinobi Elders will cover up their actions and make me look like the bad guy. Granted I am a bad guy, but that's beside the point!' thought Mizuki while he hid the pain in his wrist, and kept it out of sight from Iruka.

No need to have the boy scout of a Chuunin Instructor next to him get all noble and make a big fuss over things.

"Wow! The Shadow Clone Jutsu is indeed a very advanced Clone Jutsu. A forbidden one too if I'm not mistaken because of the chakra requirements being so high that too many of them can kill you from sapping all your chakra dry. But given your uh..._situation_ Naruto, I suppose this would be considered the equivalent of the Clone Jutsu. Congratulations Naruto! You passed the final test. You are a ninja!" declared Iruka before putting down his final marks on Naruto's papers giving him a perfect overall score, plus extra marks for the number of clones he produced, and handed the boy a headband.

"With all due respect Iruka-san, I refuse to wear a headband with Konoha's symbol on it due to what it would represent. I have a special one of my own for just this situation," stated Naruto before revealing the headband of the Uzumaki Clan with the spiral on it and tied to his forehead.

"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that Naruto. I think you would have made a great Konoha Shinobi if its any consolation," said Iruka with a smile since he saw a great deal of potential in the boy and hated the idea of it not being part of Konoha.

But what could he do? His hands were tied. At least Naruto was better then dealing with the usual brats that came through his classroom.

Why were the good ones so rare to have in his class or not from Konoha at all?

"Thank you Iruka-san, but with my past, and the way things are going...Konoha is not for me in terms of being a ninja. Thank you for being fair and honest with me with this test despite your counterpart trying something," replied Naruto before leaving the room while Iruka frowned and turned to his fell Chuunin Instructor.

Only to see that Mizuki had gone pale, was foaming at the mouth, and now beginning to spasm uncontrollably.

"Oh Kami! Mizuki! Can you hear me? Someone call a Medic Nin or a doctor right now!" exclaimed Iruka in a panicky voice while Naruto's clones dispelled and a certain snake slithered out unnoticed back to Maleficent's side.

"Congratulations my son. I trust everything went well?" asked Maleficent with Naruto nodding while sending a glance at Anko with a look that said "thank you" in his eyes.

"Yes. I am now an official adult in the eyes of the law of this village and any other place in the Elemental Countries," said Naruto with Maleficent nodding.

"Which means if anything happens to me from here on out, you will not be opposed by anyone wishing to claim ownership of your person," added Maleficent while Naruto was glad he was now an adult, but didn't like the idea of his Mother being detached from him in such a manner that her death would seem insignificant since he stood to gain so much upon her death.

"Nothing will happen to you Mother. I won't allow it," whispered Naruto to himself, but Maleficent heard it all the same.

And she smiled lovingly at her son. The fools had squandered a jewel of a child. Trying to scratch and scar him until his value was lower then a pebble you find on the road. Ha! She would take this so called "flawed jewel" over the most perfect of pebbled rocks in Konoha any day of the week.

And Maleficent was going to make sure this jewel shine brighter then the sun if she had anything to say about it.

(Rice Country-Orochimaru's Base)

"So my old sensei is having trouble with his rogue Jinchuriki. How nice," commented Orochimaru with glee in his voice at hearing about the old man's struggles.

No doubt the Shinobi Elders and Danzo were making things worse for the old monkey in terms of getting the Jinchuriki to heel. Even the Sannin knew his sensei's methods were different from his teammates, and Danzo when it came down to getting results. Not only that, but Hiruzen was starting to show his age physically, and mentally it seemed when dealing with everything around him. Honestly, the man was too old to be Hokage. Sure the Tsuchikage was in the same age range and could still fight with the best of them, but everyone knew being a Kage is a young man's game. Orochimaru knew his sensei was getting older with each passing year and the hardships that the old monkey could have handled in his youth were now weighing him down. The man should have stayed on the job as Hokage for a good five years after coming out of retirement before appointing someone else to take the job. Such a shame his sensei's aging appearance was surpassed only by his growing stubbornness to relinquish the title to someone else.

Part of Orochimaru actually felt he should have kept his experiments hidden better before his former sensei broke in and found his secret lab. After the Yondaime died, the Sannin could have easily become the man's successor, and proceeded to do what he wished from there on out. Not only that, but Orochimaru wouldn't have had to flee to the Akatsuki for a time to be protected from Konoha's ruthless hunt for him. Of course, the protection the organization provided didn't last long when the leader discovered he was trying to find a way to discreetly take genetic samples of him in order to recreate his legendary eyes for himself.

Who knew the man would take it so personally? Such a God complex. Not that the snake Sannin was one to talk, but it was the principle of the matter.

That wench who constantly protects the leader of the Akatsuki had taken his hand off and took the Akatsuki Ring from him. Or rather, she _did_ take his hand off before _he_ destroyed the hand, and the ring in an act of final defiance. The only reason they were leaving him alone right now is to keep themselves under the radar until they were strong enough to make their move. His own contributions had strengthened the Akatsuki and weakened it upon his less then civil departure

A shame really. Sasori was such a wonderful partner to work with.

"There is more to it then that according to our spies Orochimaru-sama. Hiruzen believes that Maleficent is trying to gather members of the Uzumaki Clan together under her own banner in Wave. We also suspect she is behind the abduction of Tayuya and Karin even though we have no real proof it was her," said a lowly subordinate.

"Ah yes. My two red haired pawns. I never did find out if they did indeed have Uzumaki blood in their veins or not," commented Orochimaru with a small scowl on his face, as he felt the sting to his pride once more return, and was against reminded of those two being possibly taken away right under his nose.

"The timing of their kidnapping from you, plus certain demands made to the Fire Daimyo regarding the trade agreement made with him is quite suspicious," said the subordinate before he produced the on the record copy of the deal made between Fire and Wave.

"Yes it is suspicious. This woman is hunting for Uzumaki Clan members. If Karin and Tayuya were indeed such members, they would be under this Maleficent's protection," commented Orochimaru while looking at the deal pertaining to the Uzumaki Clan and putting things together in his sadistic head.

"The Kazekage is also wishing to speak with you soon Orochimaru-sama. Concerning the overall plan for invading Konoha during the Chuunin Exam Finals," added the Sound Nin while seeing Orochimaru sigh at having to deal with the Kazekage, who in the Sannin's ever so cruel mind was the weakest of all the Kages.

And yet...the man would make an excellent pawn in his plans. It was almost a shame the Kazekage would not live to see how things played out when the invasion began.

"Keep a close eye on Konoha and inform me of any new developments that should catch my interest. I will kill you if you fail," ordered Orochimaru before he left.

He had some final preparations to make and it just so happened the Kazekage was part of it.

At least his clothing and other various things anyway.

(Konoha-Weeks Later)

"The Chuunin Exams are starting today," remarked Naruto while eating with his Mother and Haku at the Namikaze Estates.

"Yes I know. I think it would be interesting to go see some of the potential candidates flocking to the Academy where the first part is being held," replied Maleficent while she saw Haku nod in agreement.

"I question the motives of the three Jounin who have sent their Genin teams in so soon after being made Genin a few months ago," remarked Haku with Naruto nodding and Maleficent waved it off.

"It is none of our concern my dear girl. These Jounin are competing against each other and using their Genin to further prove which among them is the better sensei. If they get their students killed during this test, it will be their own fault, and their own stupidity. No one ever said there was such a thing as a perfect sensei when it comes to teaching," said Maleficent while Naruto was troubled.

"Mother I...I have a question I wish to ask," said Naruto while picking at his food.

"Ask it my son. Whatever it is, I won't be offended," offered Maleficent while taking a bite out of her meal.

"I met this girl from one of those Genin teams participating in the Chuunin Exams. I felt like I knew her when I was younger, but my mind is...hazy on the subject. Could you use your power to find out why she seems so familiar to me?" questioned Naruto with his Mother stopped herself from taking a bite out of her meal to look at Naruto curiously before seeing Haku nod in confirmation from seeing the blonde's reaction to the Hyuuga girl.

"Very well. Though be mindful my son. Using my powers to dive into such memories could be more trouble then they are worth," warned Maleficent with Naruto nodding in agreement before they went back to eating.

(Hokage's Office)

"So Mizuki is dead," concluded Hiruzen with a sigh.

"Yes. We determined the cause was snake venom from a bite on his wrist. We already suspected the man to be a traitor to Konoha and working for Orochimaru from his past actions so his death means little to us," remarked Koharu while Hiruzen nodding though he didn't like the fact his former teammates went behind his back to fail the boy.

He wanted the boy to pass and be a ninja of Konoha. Damn it!

"True, but you should have consulted me regarding your actions in trying to fail Naruto when he took his exam. I wanted Naruto to pass so we could bring him under Konoha's jurisdiction as one of my ninja," said the Sandaime Hokage with his former teammates looking like they didn't really care.

"With all due respect Hiruzen, we felt it was necessary to have the Kyuubi Jinchuriki kept under a more controlled setting with the laws of the village. If we were to kill the woman holding power over the Jinchuriki, we could use his status as a child to make Tsunade his legal guardian, and use her to regain control of him," replied Homura since Maleficent had not removed the power that had tied Koharu's mouth shut.

And she was still very upset about that. She had to have an I.V. used to provide nutrients for her body.

"I already thought of that possibility. At the same time, I knew such a route would cause Naruto to lash out, and possibly unleash Kyuubi just before we have a remote chance of stopping him. The violence caused would weaken Konoha considerably and our enemies would use our moment of weakness to crush us underfoot," said Hiruzen like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"There are certain _protocols_ in place to keep such a thing from happening. They were developed by Jiraiya and yourself in secret after Kushina was made the new Jinchuriki," remarked Homura with Hiruzen scowling at him.

"And you will do well to keep your mouth shut on that matter Homura. Those protocols were put in place in the event Kushina somehow lost control of the Biju inside of her. Mito and Minato may have had faith in Kushina in keeping the fox at bay and being loyal to Konoha, but we did not. Those specific protocols will only be used when Maleficent is no longer a factor in possibly removing them. Her ability to remove seals no matter the complexity is not something we can risk happening if we play our hand too soon," said Hiruzen with Homura scowling further.

"The Kyuubi Jinchuriki should have been properly monitored Hiruzen. You let this whole situation happen and get completely out of control by putting our village's future weapon in an overly exposed in plain sight position," said Homura with Hiruzen frowning at him.

"And your alternative with Danzo is better by turning Naruto into an emotionless weapon with no sense of himself? It would have failed outright. Jinchuriki need their emotions to not only keep the Biju they hold at bay, but reach their full potential," countered Hiruzen with Homura scowling further and so did Koharu.

"We could handle the first part with a few well placed seals to his mind and you know it Hiruzen. Besides, we do not believe that a Jinchuriki should be allowed to reach their full potential. Such ideas might make them believe they are better then us _normal_ people and we can't have that. Jinchuriki are abominations of nature. Abominations that we humans created for war and should be controlled as such to ensure they do not destroy our power base," said Homura with Koharu nodding.

"Hashirama and Tobirama would say different," countered Hiruzen with Homura scoffing at the mention of their former teachers when they were mere Genin.

"I don't care about the judgment of two dead men from the Senju Clan. Hashirama was sleeping with the woman who would become Konoha's first weapon and Tobirama was too sentimental to stop his brother from getting too attached to her," Homura shot back while Hiruzen's scowl increased.

"Need I remind you, it was because of those three that Konoha exists. It was through those three we even had Kyuubi for as long as we did. Or would you prefer those three did not live as long as they did and let Madara use Kyuubi to crush Konoha out of spite for not being named the Hokage all those years ago?" replied Hiruzen while Homura just narrowed his eyes at him and Koharu doing the same.

"All the names mentioned are dead. Hashirama, Tobirama, Mito, and Madara are all dead Hiruzen. We are the present. We set policy now. Thinking about what a bunch of dead legends of their time would do if they were still alive is not something you should focus on right now. Bring the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to heel or else risk Konoha replacing you for a Hokage who thinks as the rest of the governing body does on how Jinchuriki should be managed," said Homura before he and Koharu left the room.

"I told you those two idiots think more like Danzo," commented Jiraiya from the window while Hiruzen sighed.

"I know they do. But their position on the Shinobi Council is too deep in control of power and I can't remove them. There are too many secrets those two know. If such secrets were to get out through Homura and Koharu out of spite if I removed them from their positions of power...," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya grimacing.

"Well...Koharu doesn't look like she will be able to talk anytime soon. Homura could be 'removed' if you gave the order. Still, I wouldn't put it past them to have certain measures in place should they ever be 'removed' from their positions of power. Not to mention that Danzo would probably help them as another way to spite you too and to make a play for the Hokage seat once you were kicked out," remarked Jiraiya while Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

"I know. I plan on Tsunade taking over as Hokage once the Chuunin Exams are over. I already spoke to her about it," replied Hiruzen with Jiraiya's face turning serious.

"Are you still thinking about that stupid 'curse' Maleficent put on you? The one where she essentially has you die the day of the Chuunin Exam Finals?" asked Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"Yes. I don't believe in curses Jiraiya. I believe in the power of chakra, the nine Biju, the Will of Fire, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, and the Sage of Sixth Paths. But I do not believe in prophesized curses foretelling one's death. All the same, I am making sure Konoha has a future by appointing Tsunade as my successor in the event such a thing does occur," said Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding though he still frowned over the idea.

"Tsunade has been..._drifting_ away from the plan sensei. If she became Hokage and the boy's new guardian at the same time...I think Tsunade might abandon the position and take Naruto out of Konoha," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen frowning.

"I trust if that does happen, you will be able to stop her?" questioned Hiruzen with Jiraiya nodding yes.

"I will if she won't cooperate sensei. I will also become Hokage in Tsunade's place if that does happen," replied Jiraiya knowing Konoha would need a suitable Hokage in the event that Hiruzen died and Tsunade was unwilling to be Hokage.

"I know. We must stop this woman Jiraiya. At all cost," commented Hiruzen firmly to his former student.

"Kakashi will win sensei. Don't worry. Once we have Naruto on a legal basis, things should become easier for us in the long run," remarked Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding in agreement, but he had some doubts.

"How is Kakashi's progress with his training for the match?" asked the Sandaime with Jiraiya shrugging his shoulders.

"His progress is steady. He should be ready for whatever Naruto throws at him," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen thinking about something else.

"Do you think Naruto will use the Kyuubi's chakra? Do you believe the boy has been given access to it?" asked Hiruzen with Jiraiya thinking it over.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Its hard to say. I didn't feel anything remotely like that from Naruto and I doubt even Maleficent will tamper with the seal holding the Kyuubi. If anything happens to the seal, the gaki will die as a result, and I don't think Maleficent will risk it knowing that is the case," replied Jiraiya with Hiruzen nodding.

"All the same, prepare the means to combat its power should Naruto decide to unleash such a thing on us," commanded the Sandaime with Jiraiya nodding and leaping out of the window.

(Namikaze Estates-At the Moment)

"Are you sure about this Naruto? The memory of this girl or the girl herself may not be as important as you think she is," said Maleficent while she sat in front of her son sitting in meditative position.

"I know Kaa-san. I just...I just want to know why the memory is hazy? Why everything surrounding her is strange to me?" questioned Naruto while feeling this was an itch he wanted..._needed_ to scratch or else his mind would go nuts.

"Very well. Focus on the girl and stare into the orb on my staff. Focus on the memory you have of her and let your mind wander," commanded Maleficent while she used her magic to enhance the memory into the orb so she, Naruto, and Haku could see it clearly.

(Flashback-Naruto Age 5.6 Years Old)

Naruto was in the park. Alone. His clothing a bit dirty, but clean when compared to other days, and not even torn this time around. Things were looking up for him for once. Now if he only had a single friend to play with since he was so lonely. All the blonde Uzumaki wanted was a friend. One friend! If only for today! Was that so much to ask?

Sadly, it seemed to be too much to ask since the parents of the kids around him told their children to stay away from "the demon boy" or else they would be punished. When asked why they should stay away? Or why they would be punished? The parents would just say "do as your told" or "because I said so" on the matter before taking their child or children somewhere else far away from Naruto.

Wonderful parenting skills on the part of the adults, am I right?

In any case, Naruto found himself wondering around the park, alone, hoping for a friend to come along, and play with him. Even if just for one single day. An hour! Maybe half that! He just wanted one friend to play with!

As he walked around some more, something had caught Naruto's attention in the form of a noise, or rather a _couple_ of noises. Mostly the sound of children talking. But it was in the _way_ they were talking. They were laughing, which was understandable, but Naruto felt this kind of laughter lacked a certain..._happiness_ to it one finds in another child. This laughter was a mean kind of laughter. The same kind of laughter he heard about from adults when they targeted him at times.

Peeking out over a bush, Naruto saw what was going on to cause such a familiar sound, and what he saw did not sit well with him. Not one bit.

"Weakling!"

"Freak!"

"Weirdo!"

"Crybaby!"

Insults were being thrown about by a bunch of kids several years older then Naruto. They were at least twice his age, some were twice as tall, and all of them had that same mean look in their eyes. The only difference between these kids now compared to their parents was (youth and age aside), the hurtful words used by these kids were not aimed at him (the adults used far more hateful and mature words) for once.

They were aimed at a girl. A girl with blue hair, cream colored skin, and lavender eyes one that made one believe she was blind when in fact she was not. This girl was Naruto's age and was cowering in fright in front of these boys, who were harassing her due to the fact she was different.

The jerks! And where was the girl's parents? Granted, Naruto knew not everyone had both parents, and in some cases had none! The Orphanage had proven that much in all of its cruelty when living there under the tyrannical rule of the Matron and her Bloody Cane of Doom. But even still, no one should pick on a helpless girl, who no doubt went to the park to have some fun, and maybe find a friend.

Like him!

Seeing his grand opportunity to not only do what was right, but get a possible friend out of it in the process, Naruto leaped into action, and surprised the jerks with a sneak attack. The attack itself wasn't very smart or very clever. But it worked! Naruto had snuck up and leaped onto the biggest, tallest, and ultimately strongest jerk of them before biting him in ear. The end result had made the big bad leader of the group scream in fright and in pain like a little girl seeing a insect crawl up its leg for the first time. The jerk was so much in a panic and in pain that he was moving around like a wild animal, hitting the members of his group when they tried to calm him down, and get Naruto (now noticed) off his back.

Ending with most of the group of boys knocked out and the leader running away while crying to his Mommy about his slightly bleeding ear, which was made possible through rather sharp teeth of a 5 year old.

"Hey are you okay?" asked Naruto to the shy girl, who looked at him in awe, and could only nod at his question.

"Y-Yes. Who are you?" asked the girl while secretly hoping he wasn't another bully like the others had been.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's yours?" replied Naruto curiously while helping her up.

"H-Hyuuga H-H-Hinata," said Hinata while looking at him shyly.

"Hinata? That's a nice name. It suits you," replied Naruto with a grin and made the girl blush even harder.

"Hinata-sama! Hinata-sama!" came the words of an adult, who appeared mere seconds later, and was another person with similar eyes.

Though they held none of the warmth Hinata's had shown Naruto.

"Ko-san!" replied Hinata happily while looking over at her Father's assigned guardian to watch over her person.

"Hinata-sama, where have you been? Your Father would not...," scolded Ko before he stopped and saw Naruto standing next to the girl.

And proceeded to glare at the blonde.

"I-I-I was being bothered by some bullies. N-Naruto-kun saved me from them," replied Hinata while not understanding Ko's sudden glare being aimed at her new friend and not at herself.

"Irrelevant Hinata-sama. You are not allowed to speak to this _boy_ anymore," replied Ko before he grabbed the girl and began dragging her away despite Hinata's protest.

"Hey! Leave Hinata-chan alone!" exclaimed Naruto before he leaped into the air and planned to sink his teeth into the adult like he did those kids.

Unfortunately for his plan of attack, the Hyuuga was not one to be caught so easily off guard. For one, he had the Byakugan. Two, he was a trained ninja of the Branch family so he could sense the attack coming without his eyes active. Third, Naruto had basically declared his intentions before even making his move.

And paid for it with a Gentle Fist strike to his ribs with enough force that it sent him into a tree.

"Naruto-kun!" exclaimed Hinata with worry before she was once more dragged away from the boy who saved her.

"Enough Hinata-sama. We are going to speak to your Father when we get back home. For your sake, I hope Hiashi-sama is in a relatively good mood. Though I would not get my hopes up," remarked Ko while dragging the protesting girl away.

"Jerk. I'll prank him and those like him extra hard soon. If I can walk," whispered Naruto while holding his ribs where the Hyuuga had hit him.

At least it couldn't get any worse.

"Where are you demon?! I'm going to give you a piece of my mind for hurting my son!' exclaimed an angry woman holding a blunt weapon in her hand.

"Why am I not surprised," whispered Naruto knowing he had to get away quietly before the woman discovered his location.

(Hokage's Office-The Next Day)

Naruto groaned as he felt himself wake up to being tied to a chair with two ANBU on either side of him and the Hokage not looking pleased.

To the boy's right just past one of the ANBU was Hyuuga Hiashi with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do you know why you are here Naruto?" asked Hiruzen calmly while Naruto shook his head.

"No. I didn't even prank anyone recently," replied Naruto while Hiruzen looked at Hiashi for a second and then back at the boy.

"I received a report yesterday of you _attacking_ several boy in the park. _And_ if that were not enough, you were harassing the Hyuuga Heiress of all people in the process," stated the Sandaime while Naruto looked shocked.

"What? Who told you that?! It's a lie! I helped Hinata-chan and protected her from those jerks!" protested Naruto while struggling to get out of his bindings.

"The parents of the boys you beat up filed a complaint against you. Not only that, but the Hyuuga Clan Head here is demanding you be punished for hurting his daughter," added the Sandaime while Naruto surprisingly glared at him and then at Hiashi.

"And what about the jerks who were picking on Hinata-chan? If I'm going to be punished unfairly, then they should be punished too. And what about that guy who took her away? What was his name? Ki? Ku? Ko? Yeah! Ko! He should be punished for not protecting Hinata-chan like I did?" said Naruto while the Hokage glanced at Hiashi, who looked like someone made him swallow expired lemons, and somehow made the seeds grow in his stomach.

"Regardless Naruto, you had no business getting involved with those boys. As for the Hyuuga assigned to guard little Hinata, I have been assured by Hiashi that Ko has been properly disciplined, and has a new guardian when outside the clan walls. All that is left is to punish you," replied the Sandaime Hokage while Naruto continued to frown and glare at him.

"Why aren't those bullies being punished?" asked Naruto while Hiruzen looked guilty for a second.

"Those 'bullies' as you call them Naruto, are the sons or close relatives of several Council members who help me govern Konoha. They have made it quite clear that you are to be punished or they will make my job that much more difficult," replied Hiruzen while the boy scowled further with a look of someone who had been betrayed by someone close to them.

"And what is my punishment?" asked Naruto with an small inkling of the punishment being painful to say the least.

"I am not your enemy Naruto. I was able to compromise with everyone involved in this little affair. The various Council members related to those boys demanded you be beaten severely. Publically even. Hiashi has offered to appease them by delivering a few, yet very painful blows to your body with his Gentle Fist Taijutsu in this room. Again, I was able to convince all parties involved that was too extreme. As such, the punishment I have decided to give out is to remove your memories of the incident, and of Hiashi's daughter from your mind," said the Sandaime while Naruto look horrified at the idea of having his first friend being removed from his mind.

"What?! That's not fair! Hinata-chan and I just became friends!" protested Naruto while the ANBU on each side of him holding the boy in place.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but it is for the best. I promise you things will become better in time," said Hiruzen while Naruto glared harder at the man's betrayal.

"Liar," whispered Naruto in an angry tone that caught the Hokage off guard temporarily at the sudden statement before the elderly leader nodded to Yamanaka Inoichi behind the boy.

Cue resistance, screams of protest, and finally one slumped boy later...the process was over.

"It's done...for the most part," replied Inoichi calmly yet tiredly while Hiashi frowned.

"What do you mean 'for the most part' Inoichi?" asked Hiashi while Inoichi frowned and sighed.

"I successfully removed the memory Naruto has of yesterday at the park involving your daughter and those kids. Incidentally Hiashi, the boy was telling the truth from what I was able to see. Those kids did pick on your daughter and her guardian was nowhere in sight. The fact you are siding with your daughter's attackers in a bit disturbing to me, but I digress. The point is, I removed the memory for the most part, but there is a...lingering image of Hinata in his mind I couldn't remove. It was a mental image of her I couldn't fully get rid of for some reason. He was resisting me too much and I didn't want to risk the fox inside of him stirring from the sudden intrusion," explained Inoichi with Hiashi scowling.

"Remove it! All of it! That was the agreement! You assured me the boy would remember nothing Hiruzen. Not one piece!" commanded Hiashi with the Sandaime raising a hand to make the Hyuuga stop his rant and allow Inoichi to continue.

"At best, when the boy grows up, she will be a distant hazy memory. He probably won't even recognize her as they get older. And the less the interaction the two of them have in the coming years, the more likely the memory of Hinata will fade away naturally on its own. At best, the image Naruto has of her right now is a mere smudge," explained Inoichi while Hiashi scowled angrily at him before glaring at the boy.

"Keep him away from my daughter Hiruzen. Or I will end the boy _personally_. I don't care how valuable he is to Konoha. I don't care what he is to the village or to you. The boy is _filth_. A lowly commoner. I will not have his..._stench_ on my daughter. She's bad enough already in terms of following the ways of the clan. I don't need _this_ around her to make things even worse," remarked Hiashi coldly before leaving the room.

"You shouldn't give into their demands Hokage-sama. You are the Hokage. Your word is law. Why do you compromise and cave to their demands so easily? You know Naruto was right to do what he did. Those boys didn't even get punished by their parents for their actions against Hinata. In fact, those brats were all being pampered by their parents and family members at the hospital for their so called 'wounds' that were being treated for by the doctors. All the while being promised Naruto would be as good as butchered by the time they came home. So why are you throwing the boy to the wolves?" asked Inoichi while seeing the old Kage sigh.

"Because the Hokage is only the leader of a village so long as the village supports him for his decisions. If I don't do something to appease them, I basically lose full control of the Councils when it comes to getting support for key decisions. If I lose them this way, the people will follow, and demand someone take my place. Someone who will follow the desires of the people in Konoha. Someone who will hear their cries of protest and fix the 'mistakes' I made with Naruto. Someone like Danzo. For the sake of Konoha as a whole, I must sacrifice Naruto to calm the masses here in the village, and ensure others in power do not gain necessary footing to take this position from me to mold the village to their own liking," explained the Sandaime with Inoichi shaking his head.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, you are treating this whole situation like one would treat a common cold that can be remedied with a few well placed treatment options to cure it. When in reality you should see this as full blown epidemic and take far greater measures to handle this before it becomes too great even for you to handle. The fact you don't makes me question your ability to continue running Konoha properly the way it has been run since you returned as Hokage," replied Inoichi before he left the room.

And leaving Hiruzen to his thoughts while staring at an unconscious Naruto.

(End Flashback)

"That old dumb..._bastard_! I knew it! I knew that one image of that girl from what I saw was important somehow!" exclaimed Naruto angrily while his eyes turned red with slits for pupils.

"Agreed. Such a foolish decision on the Hokage's part," remarked Maleficent while Haku looked infuriated at the Hokage's actions.

"He had no right to deny Naruto-sama the memory of his very first friend. Such an act is unbefitting of a Kage of any village," added Haku with Naruto nodding.

"But it makes sense now. It makes sense why those Hyuuga Clan members all attacked me two days later. I didn't understand it at the time and the Hokage wouldn't give me any kind of answer to why they had beaten me up. He claimed they were punished, but deep down...deep down I knew the old man was lying about it," remarked Naruto angrily while crimson charka began to leak out of his body because of the cruel injustice of it all.

"Calm down Naruto-sama. Your leaking the Kyuubi's chakra," said Haku while Naruto closed his eyes and focused on calming down.

"I know. Thanks Haku-chan," remarked Naruto with Haku smiling and finding herself blushing a bit regarding his thanks.

"We will deal with the Sandaime Hokage's stupidity in due time my son. For now, let us focus on seeing who will make it through the various stages of the Chuunin Exams," said Maleficent while Naruto breathed in and out for a few second to keep his anger down before nodding knowing the time to gain retribution for past sins against him would one day happen soon.

Deep inside his body, the Kyuubi stirred within, and despite the situation of being sealed within the boy...the Biju merely grinned with a small chuckle leaving its throat.

The Biju had slumbered for years. Staying quiet. Only feeling the seal tugging hard on his chakra every so often do give his vessel a boost in healing when hurt. Something the fox knew happened more often then it should have with the village lashing out at the child and then training to get stronger. It was the former that made the Biju angry and stir more often then anyone, even Naruto knew. The Yondaime's Seal had been strained for years since being placed on the boy. It had been trying hard to keep its prisoner locked within the boy at bay while using its containers chakra and willpower to keep the Biju contained. With the Biju's own chakra filtering into the seal itself, increasing the boy's chakra capacity beyond anyone his age, or anyone else for that matter when full grown, it was essentially the fox strengthening the seal against himself.

Almost cruel and crude. Yet effective all the same.

Still, Kyuubi was finding his time in the boy, and looking through his vessel's memories were quite interesting. Angry at first for how the boy was treated by Konoha just to get to their hated enemy they assumed was guilty of attacking them simply because he was just a 'mindless beast' in their eyes. Ha! Foolish humans. As if such a thing would happen. At worst, the boy would die, and yes the fox would indeed die with him. But for the fox himself, it would be a painless death. Something Naruto would not have had if Konoha had their way.

But along came Maleficent and everything changed. Who knew the boy had such luck in changing the outcome of his life? It was only after watching everything up until now did the Biju realize his vessel was a once in a very _LOOOOONG _time person known only by a very rare few as a _Fate Cutter_. Someone, who as the title suggested, cuts through the fate and destiny of others like a blade. Something that was meant to happen or should have happened would be changed by a single individual wherever this Fate Cutter went. Someone was about to die? Naruto could change that outcome. Someone was about to win? Or lose? Naruto changes the outcome in an unexpected manner.

The power to change outcomes thought to be already written in stone.

Such an interesting vessel.

One worth protecting. One worth helping when needing help in fact.

Not only that, but this surrogate Mother of his was no slouch either with her power, and while the Biju would not admit it...she did scare him. Such mastery over nature itself had not been seen since long before his Father had created him and the other eight Biju kin. Even their Father, the Sage of Sixth Paths himself was a novice compared to this woman, and this Maleficent had only grown stronger since the boy freed her. The fox had felt the tug on its power become more noticeable for sometime now in the years coinciding with the dark witch's return to the world. From the look of the memories Naruto had, the fox was able to determine Maleficent had been feeding off his chakra to regain her long lost strength, and had succeeded in the process.

Plus additional interest, if the simple fact she kept feeding off it was any indication. In fact, the woman had yet to _stop_ feeding off the Biju's chakra, and was only growing ever stronger with each passing second in the process.

Naruto had indeed found a proper Mother. One who was very strong, powerful, smart, and would rip you apart if you so much as looked at her wrong. It actually made Kyuubi a tad envious. Why couldn't the Sage have found a woman like that? Sure the man had found a nice girl to have two sons with, but one of them became a power hungry prick, and the other one was a weak jerk who constantly needed the help of others. Sure the latter had a nice ideal meant to help the world become a single entity, but he lacked the power needed to make it happen. The said power needed was in the hands of the oldest of the Sage's sons and he had turned into a spiteful jerk when his Father chose the youngest over him to be the Heir.

Hence why almost all members of the Uchiha Clan descended from the eldest son had spawned generation after generation of greedy thieving assholes.

_**"You will visit me soon kit. Not today or tomorrow. But one day soon. At one point, I might have wished to kill you just for the fun of it, and maybe even possess your body if I played my cards right. But now? Now I can neither try nor risk it. You have grown strong without calling on my power to get things done. Though given the situation you are in, I might have to despite all the training, and preparing you are doing for it. Even if that is the case, I will aid you in the battle if necessary, and deny Konoha their so called rightful claim to using my power through you. I swore to never be used as a weapon or tool for war for any village. Through you, I will make that possible, and I will deny Konoha what it wants as a way to get back at them for believing they can,"**_ said the fox to himself while glancing over to the side for a second before looking out of its cell and yawn just prior to going to sleep again.

(Konoha Ninja Academy-Later that Day)

The sight of Naruto, Maleficent, and Haku drew many eyes to them while they walked at a slow pace to the Academy. They were originally stopped at he door by several ninja, stating they were not allowed to enter since the exams were starting soon. Maleficent had warned them that if they impeded their path any further, she would turn them into small animals for which Anko in her snake form would devour whole.

It got the point across.

Walking up the steps of the Academy like they had before when Naruto went to take his Genin Exam, the trio came across a bunch of Genin from different teams trying to enter a room, but were stopped by two ninja under a Genjutsu. In fact, the entire area around the two of them had been a Genjutsu in order to trick the Genin there into thinking they were on the third floor where the exams were being held. In truth they were currently on the second floor of the Academy and had no idea that they were trying to get into the wrong room.

"Hey! Dispel the Genjutsu. This is the second floor," commented the Uchiha and his team now, who were slightly in front of Maleficent's group.

"Idiot. He just sacrificed the opportunity of having less participants in this exam for a small ego boost in showing off," whispered Naruto to his Mother and Haku with both nodding in agreement.

"What was that? Who said that?!" demanded Sasuke, who heard the whisper, and turned around to see Naruto.

"What? It's true. You basically now have more Genin teams to contend with in the first part of the Chuunin Exams because of your need for an ego boost. By revealing they are on the second floor, you give them all a second chance, and make things more difficult for everyone else who did see through it," replied Naruto calmly while Sasuke glared at him while Sakura followed and Sai stayed his usual fake smiling self.

"No one asked you _freak_! Go back to Wave with your deformed Mother and don't come back!" demanded Sasuke while trying to prove he was better then Naruto and everyone else around him.

"Yeah! No one wants a bastard like you!" exclaimed Sakura despite the fact word had spread of Naruto's connection to the Yondaime in terms of being his son.

"I have no problems with you Naruto-sama, but please do not hurt my teammates. I need them to participate in the Chuunin Exams," offered Sai with his fake smile never leaving him.

"He won't do anything. He's a freak. An abomination. No one wants him. I bet his real Mother is still alive and abandoned him for a better life. Though what do you expect from someone like his Mother, who was basically the Yondaime Hokage's personal whore!" stated Sasuke while his mind had gone increasingly darker since his Father had told the clan about Itachi being in Wave under the command of Maleficent and her adopted son Naruto by extension.

As for Naruto, he was restraining himself with all his being in terms of not bringing out the kunai hidden under his shirt past the wrist, and stabbing the Uchiha in the throat. He was close to doing it too. Even now the muscles twitched, the skin rippled, the nerves, and chakra coils reacting to his mental command brought about by sheer impulse mixed with the strong desire to end the fool for his insult.

Surprisingly however, Haku beat him to his retaliation on the Uchiha by acting faster with her own impulses by grabbing the foolish boy by the throat, and pinning him to a nearby wall. Sakura had moved to save "her Sasuke-kun" from the masked girl, but was easily, and quickly backhanded away by Haku before the pink haired kunoichi could get a word. Sai had also moved to free Sasuke since he had orders from Danzo to ensure the boy was protected long enough to be of use to the old war hawk in possibly being some kind of leverage against Itachi. However, Maleficent's intervention in using a pulse of her power from the staff's orb sent the pale faced, fake smiling Root Nin flying backwards, and left the Uchiha all alone at the mercy of the one holding his throat in a vice like grip.

"You are wrong Uchiha-san. Naruto-sama could hurt you. There are so many ways that he could crush your body and destroy your spirit. But I will not let him soil his hands with the blood of filth like your own. I will not allow him to waste his energy on dealing with a pathetic piece of human garbage like yourself," whispered Haku while increasing her grip on the Uchiha's throat and making the boy's vision go red and finally black from the lack of oxygen.

"Enough Haku. You can let the fool go now," ordered Naruto while Haku slowly released the Uchiha and watched the fool gasped for breath with his vision coming back to him at a snail's pace.

"My apologies Naruto-sama. But someone like _him_ has no business insulting you," said Haku bowing her head to him while ignoring the two glares aimed at her by a bruise to the faced Sakura and struggling to breathe Sasuke.

"It's all right Haku-chan. We have spent enough time here with this fool, his team, and the others here watching this spectacle," replied Naruto before he along with Maleficent and Haku walked past everyone while one of the teams continued to stare at him with interest.

'So that is him. The Yondaime's long lost son. Hiashi-sama has made it clear the boy is to be kept at distance from the clan and Hinata-sama. But why? And how did that woman use such power to repel the Uchiha's teammate with ease?' thought Hyuuga Neji, as he had recalled one day many years ago when Hinata was sent to her room, tears running down her face, and wasn't allowed to come out for the rest of the day.

"Don't even think about it Lee," remarked Tenten while she saw Lee staring at Naruto with a determined eye to fight Naruto.

"I merely wish to see if the Yondaime's son is a natural Prodigy or if he is like me," said Lee before sneaking off after the trio.

"You better go and get Gai-sensei. I will go after Lee to keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything stupid," said Tenten with Neji frowning before he did as instructed knowing their sensei was in the same building, but in a different room where the senseis for all the Genin teams were to congregate.

Neither of them bothered to even look at the angry and humiliated Genin team 7 currently being mocked in a whispery fashion by the other teams heading for the third floor.

(With Naruto)

"We are being followed by someone from earlier," commented Naruto after they entered the area used by the Academy for inside sparring and weapons practice.

"The Uchiha?" asked Haku while reading some senbon needles to stab the fool in the throat to keep him down for a longer period of time.

"No. This one is different. His chakra signature is...almost nonexistent," replied Naruto with a frown of confusion before turning to see the form of Rock Lee appear in front of them.

"I am Rock Lee. I wish to fight you son of the Yondaime Hokage," declared Lee with a small bow.

"For what purpose?" asked Maleficent while gauging the strange spandex wearing boy with bowl shaped hair and large eyebrows.

And she thought three nitwitted fairies from her time were odd.

"To see if the son of the Yondaime is indeed a natural Prodigy like my teammate Hyuuga Neji. I myself am a Prodigy of hard work, as I have trained hard to be where I am, and wish to see how my skills match against the son of the Yondaime," answered Rock Lee while keeping his focus on Naruto.

"Why do you want to do this now? You are competing in the Chuunin Exams and I doubt your team will be pleased with you making them late, if not fail to compete because they are one teammate short," question Naruto with Lee nodding.

"I know I am cutting it close and my team will no doubt be angry with me. But from the moment I saw and heard of you, I felt an overwhelming, and compelling desire to test myself against someone of your significance," explained Lee while Naruto nodded in understanding.

"As honored as I am that you wish to test yourself against me Lee-san, the time for us to have a spar is not now. I will grant you the sparring match your heart desires, but not at the moment. The Chuunin Exams and your team await you. Compete in that first before facing me in a spar. I won't be leaving Konoha for quite some time so there is no rush to face each other now," replied Naruto with Rock Lee thinking things over before nodding and giving the blonde a respectful now.

"Very well. I accept your reasoning. I was indeed hasty in my desire. I will go seek out my teammates and my sensei before apologizing to them for my rashness. I look forward to fighting you in the future when time permits Naruto-sama," said Lee with Naruto now waving him off.

"Just call me Naruto. You seem like a good guy," replied Naruto before glancing behind Lee to see a bun haired girl looking at them and clearly expecting a fight by now, but was relieved they didn't.

That still didn't mean her teammate was getting off the hook so easily.

"Lee! You dumb baka! How many times have we told you not to act so impulsively?!" demanded Tenten while shaking the boy violently and looking angry at her teammate.

It was almost amusing if it wasn't so sad.

"Were girls like that back in the time you are from Mother?" asked Naruto curiously with Maleficent looking somewhat amused.

"Not really. While there were a few women who acted more like men with a lack of any real femininity, they were not like this. This one seems like a good balance between the ways of being female and being strong. Not unlike Anko," answered Maleficent calmly with Naruto nodding though he didn't think the world could handle another kunoichi with an Anko like temper.

The world barely had enough room for Tsunade's own legendary temper much less the temper Anko had when provoked on various sensitive subjects. Adding this bun haired girl's emotional state into the mix would probably fracture the very fabric of space and time itself.

"If you're done throttling your teammate to death, I do believe the two of you, plus your third teammate have an exam to get to kunoichi-san. You wouldn't want to be late, am I correct?" remarked Naruto with Tenten looking at him and blushed red in embarrassment at her actions in front of him.

"Sorry about that. My teammate is a bit of an oddball when it comes to meeting others," said Tenten while looking sheepish and still holding Lee with one hand while he dangled there in her grip.

"Its all right. He's just energetic and no doubt excited about the Chuunin Exams. Good luck in advancing. Hope you do well," replied Naruto before walking away with his Haku and his Mother.

Had he looked back, Naruto would have seen Tenten's blush turn a little bit redder, and not from the embarrassment of her teammate. While Naruto wish for good luck was more directed at her team in general, Tenten had taken it as him saying good luck to _her_, and it had unknowingly brought out a rush of feelings from the growing girl slowly becoming a woman within. For this kunoichi, who constantly wanted to prove she was as good as any guy being a Shinobi, to hear the son of a Hokage wish her luck (even though it was directed at her team) made the girl's heart start to flutter.

If only just a little. If only just a little.

"My head is spinning," mumbled Lee before seeing Tenten's red face.

Before he could question it however, Tenten refocused back on him, and Lee gulped at the sight of her before she began dragging the boy away.

"You're lucky I don't have time to use you as target practice right now. We need to get upstairs before we are late and miss the Chuunin Exams," declared Tenten while she made her way to the steps made sure each one hit Lee hard while the boy said "Ow!" each time.

(With Naruto)

"Mother, is it wrong to still consider some girls weird at my age?" questioned Naruto while in a whispered tone so as to try and not offend Haku since he wasn't sure if she would consider herself part of that category of girls being weird to him.

He was fortunate that Haku went on ahead to inspect the room where all the other Jounin senseis were sitting in. They were going to be there to observe the Genin teams taking the Chuunin Exams using Maleficent's magic. Anko was on Maleficent's neck, but knew not to say anything about the issue since it wasn't her place, and that this was a question only the boy's Mother should answer.

"No my son. In this day and age, most girls, and even women are odd to boys your age by nature. Trust me, some girls, and even some women can be complete oddities to even the smartest and sharpest of people," answered Maleficent in a whispered tone since she had a feeling it was to keep Haku out of the loop.

"I see...at least I think I do," whispered Naruto while Maleficent smiled and let out a chuckle of amusement.

"Give it time Naruto. You are young and still growing," replied Maleficent before they entered the room and had all eyes staring at them.

'The Yondaime's rumored son. Here?!' thought the two Jounin senseis from Iwa while giving the boy a glare, but was stopped when Naruto returned it, and they saw what seemed to be an apparition of a demon's head above him.

'That will knock some sense into them,' thought Naruto before focusing on the Jounin senseis from Konoha in the room.

He saw Sarutobi Asuma of Genin team 10.

He saw a man, who looked like an adult version of Rock Lee, and assumed the man was the Jounin sensei of Genin team 9. Maito Gai if he heard correctly from Haku when she was spying in Konoha and had seen the..._eccentric_ man in action.

He saw Yuhi Kurenai of Genin team 8.

And lastly...he saw Hatake Kakashi of Genin team 7.

"Hey Naruto-san! What brings you here?" asked Asuma in a friendly tone and grin on his face.

"We came to observe the Chuunin Exams. My Mother's power will allow us to see what is going on in the room without disturbing anyone in it," replied Naruto with all of the Jounin in the room looking surprised by this.

"She can do that?" asked Kurenai while Maleficent smiled.

"Of course. As some of you know, my son met your students who are taking the Chuunin Exams. Naruto wishes to see how they would fair and no doubt wishes to gauge his own actions if he were to take the Chuunin Exams with the rest of them," replied Maleficent while quickly, yet neatly removed everything off the large coffee table, and summoned a large pot filled almost to the brim with water.

"Not to put you down or anything, but uh...isn't this a bit cliché?" asked Kakashi since he saw this as something a witch would do.

"Perhaps, but it works," commented Maleficent before she used her powers to show a bird's eye view of all the Genin waiting to be seated for the start of the Chuunin Exams.

"Looks like our little group of Rookies are talking to each other and someone else in the corner," replied Asuma while seeing Ino grab onto Sasuke and the man sighed at her fan girl like manner.

He seriously had to talk to Ino about that.

"Hinata seems to be doing all right in front of the other Genin there. Though I don't like the occasional leer Kiba is sending her way," remarked Kurenai, as he saw Kiba sending Hinata a glance every so often behind the girl's back, and the Jounin kunoichi didn't like it one bit.

"I'm more concerned about Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke has a bruise on his throat and Sakura looks like her face is slightly swollen from being hit there," said Kakashi while wondering what had happened to his team since he saw them earlier.

"The Uchiha said something he shouldn't have and was put in his place by Haku-chan," said Naruto while Haku blushed slightly behind her mask at his words clearly filled with praise.

'I thought so. Only Sasuke would say something stupid and Sakura would back him up just for both get put in their place by the offending party for it,' thought Kakashi while seeing them talking to someone with glasses showing the Rookies his Info Cards.

"Did that Kabuto guy just say he took this exam _seven times_?" asked Asuma with a frown on his face.

"Indeed he did Asuma-san. Most unusual. And his Info Cards seem to hold information a Genin is _NOT_ allowed access to about others," added Gai in a serious tone.

"Are those the Kazekage's children?" asked Kurenai while the image of the Rookies went from them to the team from Suna.

"Two out of the three of them are the Kazekage's children. The third one Gaara, is now my adopted brother living with us back at Wave," replied Naruto calmly while seeing the third team member with the Kazekage's children was a shy looking girl with brown hair, short skirt, and short sleeve shirt with a scarf around her neck.

The girl's name was Matsuri from what the glasses wearing Genin was showing them.

"So the rumors are true," commented Asuma since he had heard how the Kazekage's youngest had left Suna for Nami and had not been back since that time.

One rumor had it the boy was dead. Killed either by Naruto or by Maleficent herself upon his attack on Nami. Apparently, that was not the case if what Naruto just said was indeed true.

"The Kazekage thought he could send Gaara to Nami to bury my home in sand and crush the people within it. Such arrogance has a price tag to it," commented Naruto coldly, as he saw the Jounin wince since that was true, and it seemed to the other Jounin around him that the Kazekage paid heavily for his actions.

With interest if the rumors of one of the red haired boy being a Jinchuriki were true.

"Did you see those Sound Nin move? Not bad," commented the one Iwa Jounin while seeing them move against the glasses wearing Genin with the Info Cards and forced the boy to his knees.

"Those bracers on the bandaged boy's arm generate sound vibrations. You don't have to make physical contact with your target to hurt them. Just getting close enough and the sound does the rest for you," observed Kakashi while the other Jounin senseis in the room nodded.

"Makes you wonder what the other Genin on that team can do?" remarked the one Jounin from Ame with several scars on his face looking at the group curiously.

"Indeed. Sound had drawn first blood. Makes you wonder how Konoha's Genin will react to this," remarked Naruto with a smirk on his face while his eyes focused on the scarred Jounin wearing the large black trench coat got everyone's attention by yelling for them to shut up and sit down.

The Chuunin Exams was about to begin.

(A/N: YAY! This is one huge update. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time...PEACE!)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10-The Test of Others

Naruto watched as the Genin teams were picked off one by one by the scarred ninja, who was identified as Morino Ibiki. The said man was head of the T&I Dept. responsible for getting any and all information out of his prisoners to ensure Konoha was protected from future threats. In fact, Naruto had heard from Anko, and Itachi in the past about how Ibiki had scouted the former in terms of joining his division. If the man wanted you to tell him your most deepest darkest secrets, he would get them simply by attacking your mind, and messing it up once inside.

Morino Ibiki was essentially for all intended purposes...a badass.

"Impressive. The man is indeed intimidating," remarked Naruto while he watched three teams fail within a span of five minutes.

"Ibiki is the best. Without a doubt," remarked Asuma with a smirk on his face.

"Everyone has to cheat, but only the best in the room are getting away with it, and those who get caught are the ones who fail," observed Naruto while the Jounin in the room were impressed the boy figured it out.

The group of Jounin, plus Naruto's group watched as Ibiki shortened the number of Genin teams down to Konoha's current Rookie Nine, Gai's team (much to the man's shout of joy), and the one team from Sound were the most noticeable to have survived so far in this test of the mind. There was also the two Genin teams from Grass, one from Ame, two from Kiri, three from Iwa, and lastly the two from Kumo.

"All right! My team passed!" exclaimed Asuma excitedly since he knew Inoichi was not going to kick his ass using those family Jutsus of his for putting Ino through that.

Though Asuma knew he might have to be on guard for a week or two just to be safe.

"Congratulations to everyone here. Your teams have passed the first stage of the Chuunin Exams," said Maleficent while removing the image of the Genin teams letting out sighs of relief and the cauldron of water vanishing as if it were never there.

"Now they just need to get through the Forest of Death," remarked Kakashi casually, but it made some of the other Jounin in the room look concerned.

Not surprising since several of the Jounin had taken the Chuunin Exams here in Konoha and had gone through the Forest of Death in the past. The place was teeming with wild life from dangerous animals to giant insects and other dark sinister things lurking in the shadows waiting for anyone weak or stupid enough to enter. The Forest of Death was specifically designed to be a living breathing natural defense for Konoha during times of war as well as a high level training ground to keep Konoha's Shinobi strong during times of peace.

Needless to say it wasn't a stroll in the park.

"Let's go Naruto. We will meet the teams that survive at the central tower," commanded Maleficent while she, Naruto, and Haku walked out of the room together.

"Wait! You can't go into the Forest of Death! You have to wait until all the teams enter within a span of five days!" protested Gai with concern since he didn't want them to be attacked or go into the place without a proper escort.

"That is not our problem. If any team wishes to engage us, they can at their own peril. This would not be the first time we were in such a place. Such a place actually feels quite nice to me," said Maleficent to the shock of everyone around her.

Except Naruto, Anko, and Haku for obvious reasons.

"Hokage-sama will not like this," added Kakashi with Maleficent glancing at him with narrowed eyes.

"Do I look like I care? Does my son look like he cares?" questioned Maleficent coldly with the Jounin shaking his head no quickly.

Seeing Kakashi's physical response, Maleficent simply walked away with her son, and two servants with them without so much as a look back.

(Forest of Death-Sometime Later)

The group walked casually through the dense forest. They were in no rush. The Sandaime Hokage tried to protest earlier before they entered, but the man silenced violently by the dark witch's power sending him flying. It was even more humiliating when you consider the fact Maleficent did this to the Sandaime in front of the other Genin teams and they were the first to walk into the Forest of Death before anyone else.

The fact they walked into the chained, barbed wired fence with the many signs saying "STAY OUT!" written on it like the place was their home only shocked them further.

"We are being watched," remarked Naruto while his hand slowly tightened on his sword, which he had taken out as a precaution for just such an occasion.

"Indeed. The slimy snake finally decides to show himself to us," added Maleficent before using her power to nullify the Wind Jutsu the Sannin had launched at them in order to separate the group.

It came at them as simple gentle breeze.

"Interesting. So the rumors are true. A woman with the absolute mastery in commanding nature chakra. Some have speculated your skills surpass even that of the Sage of Sixth Paths himself," remarked Orochimaru with an evil grin on his face.

"I predate your Sage of Sixth Paths. As for you _worm_, you have neither the skill, nor the experience to challenge me," remarked Maleficent while Orochimaru's grin left him at the insult.

"Actually, I think I do have them since I have long since cheated old age, and death itself from claiming me countless times. Not only that, but I have long since heard you are very sentimental on a maternal level toward the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, and treat him as if he was your own son," countered Orochimaru while Maleficent's eyes narrowed at the hidden threat and her power pulsed over the area.

"Speak your next words carefully Sannin or I will ensure they are quite literally your last in this world," commanded Maleficent coldly and the area seemed to strain itself under the presence of her power coming to the forefront of the world.

"My apologizes. Contrary to what people would have you believe, I am not your enemy here your Majesty. Konoha is my enemy. It has been for quite some time. They gave the boy's Father the Hokage position when I was more qualified and far more experienced in being my sensei's successor. And only because the man was the hero of the Third Shinobi War. Honestly, the man was so reckless with his life, and if he had known how Konoha treated his son...I highly doubt anything of this village would be left standing in the end of the fox's rampage," replied Orochimaru while Maleficent sensed her son getting angry at the Sannin's words.

"You wish an alliance between us? Or perhaps some form of truce?" inquired Maleficent with Orochimaru nodding while grinning.

"Yes. I do. I have plans for Konoha. Plans involving the Chuunin Exams. Plans you have unknowingly until now, interfered with thanks to the Kazekage losing his son Gaara to you, and one of the two red haired girls taken from my base being one of my Sound Four. As it stands, I have a suitable replacement for Tayuya, but I would prefer not to have to rely on a stand in for such a key part of my plan. I know you didn't mean to subvert my plans for Konoha and I know your son has been lashing out in his own way against them. I see no reason why we can't part ways on friendly terms since our goals are connecting in the idea of this village falling to its many enemies. Its many enemies made from their own actions and stupidity forged from years of arrogance," answered Orochimaru with Maleficent staring into those yellow eyes.

"Do you think I am fool? That I am so powerful that I would be equally if not be even greater in terms of being arrogant? That I will simply trust you? That I will ignore you? That I will believe you are going to leave me alone?" asked/demanded Maleficent while Orochimaru's grin left him slightly.

"It would be in the best interest of your health. Not to mention your son and the girl next to him. Captured kunoichi due tend to get far worse treatment over their male Shinobi counterparts. Even more when they have a bloodline, which I heard this girl in fact does possess," said Orochimaru before he was thrown violently into a tree behind him while countless vines and roots swarmed upon his body to effectively tie the Sannin up.

And for Naruto to move in before taking his head off in one slice.

"No one threatens my family and walks away happy," whispered Naruto to the head of Orochimaru with his eyes turning crimson.

Only for the body of Orochimaru to turn into dirt and revealing it was Mud Clone.

"Impressive for one so young," remarked Orochimaru behind Maleficent with a grin on his face while Haku got ready to face him.

"Don't bother. He is in fact just another clone. Such use of clones against us is actually kind of pathetic and I find it is in a way..._insulting_," remarked Maleficent before she sent a pulse of power at the clone via her staff and made it fall apart.

"Oh really? How so?" asked Orochimaru before Naruto moved up behind him and cut the man in half.

Only to again turn into another Mud Clone.

"You are too afraid to face us Orochimaru. Not really surprising given your constant fear of death. You know if you did come out of hiding to face us, I would easily kill you in a heartbeat," remarked Maleficent in a semi-taunting manner.

"I fear nothing. I am a God among men!" whispered Orochimaru in a deadly serious tone while Maleficent smirked and let out small laugh.

"A God? You? That is like a snake trying to say it is a dragon. A lie if there ever was one and a perverse lie at that. If you were truly fearless and unafraid of dying against us, you would reveal yourself instead of sending your earthworm copies in your place," replied a now slightly amused Maleficent.

In return, Orochimaru was silent in terms of a response to her words, and she knew they had hit home with the painful truth. She easily sensed him, the _real him_, and not some Mud Clone version brooding to her right at the painful insult dealt to his pride.

"I suggest you leave Orochimaru-san. My Mother is not one you wish to cross. She has the power, the skill, and the temper needed to see your last moments in life are forever ones filled with suffering," replied Naruto while looking over at where the Sannin was hiding and sensed the man was shocked he could be pinpointed like that.

"Very well. I will retreat for now. But don't think this is over. I will not have my plans for Konoha's destruction be ruined by a Jinchuriki or his witch for a _Mother_. If we do cross paths in the future Maleficent-sama, rest assured that your end will not be pleasant, and I will enjoy dissecting your body before death comes for you," replied Orochimaru before he slithered away from them.

'As expected from a worm like him. Getting in the last word, all the while trying to make it sound as if he left out of some form of benevolence on his part in being merciful. Ha! He clearly overestimates himself,' thought Maleficent while walking toward the central tower with Naruto and Haku beside her once more.

Whatever Orochimaru's plans were for Konoha, it didn't effect Maleficent's own plans in the slightest. On the contrary, they actually worked out perfectly for her in the end, and the prophesized curse she put on the Sandaime Hokage.

(Forest of Death-Central Tower-Five Days Later)

Maleficent, Naruto, Haku, and Anko (now in her human form) were watching from above on the balcony of the arena where the Genin below were standing. Some were worse off more then others. Some had a few scrapes and dirt on their clothing. Others looked like the Forest of Death had chewed them up and was ready to spit them out. The only teams left was the one from Suna, the one from Sound, Gai's team, and the Rookie Nine. The Suna team looked all right, the Sound team looked a bit beat up, and Gai's team looked relatively unharmed.

The Rookie Nine however, they were the ones who looked like they had seen better days, and it showed just how pampered they had been up until this point. Shikamaru looked like he had rolled in some dirt, Choji looked like he was ready to pass out from the lack of food, and Ino's hair looked horrible while covered in the same amount of dirt (if not slightly more) as Shikamaru. Shino, Hinata, and Kiba had been in a fight with two of the Kumo teams with the trio barely coming out on top on both counts.

The intention of both Kumo teams had been to capture the Hyuuga Heiress since they had known from the Intel given to them in Kumo that Neji was a branch family member and thus could not be taken back to the village to gain his eyes thanks to the Cage Bird Seal. However, the two Kumo teams had decided to split up, get the scroll they needed to pass, and then go after the Hyuuga girl on team 8.

The problem with that was one of the teams had met the requirements before they other and rushed to engage their target instead of waiting for the second team to finish. Had they waited and teamed up together to go after Konoha's Genin team 8, the mission to capture a Main family Hyuuga right from under Konoha's nose would more then likely have been a complete success. As it stood, both teams lost separately, even if just barely, and it gave the victors the means to pass the second part of the Chuunin Exams.

Genin team 7, which consisted of Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai had looked like they had been through the worst of it. Not surprising when you consider the fact Orochimaru paid them a visit, gave Sasuke his Curse Seal mark, and sent his pawns that were the Sound team to test the seal on the boy. Sai and Sakura were able to hold off the Sound team until Sasuke had awakened with the Curse Seal active before brutally ripping them apart. Of course, it was Sakura who was able to snap Sasuke out of his psychotic state that the Sound team was spared being brutally crippled, and killed by the Uchiha in his moment of Curse Seal induced madness. In return for this moment of mercy, the bandaged boy named Dosu gave team 7 their scroll, and left to find another team to take another.

One of the two Grass teams, which had been eaten by a bear had provided them with such a means of passing.

Suna had passed though Temari and Kankuro both knew they would have gotten through the Forest of Death sooner if Gaara had been with them. Their Father had been so angry with the fact Gaara was no longer apart of Suna and they knew things were only going to decline further so long as the man kept acting like an angry desperate man struggling in a field of quicksand.

Ironic right?

What was also quite a sight, but what was far more interesting was the almost horrifying fact that Orochimaru himself was standing right behind the Sandaime Hokage under the disguise of the Sound team's Jounin sensei. It wasn't hard to notice since the features of the Sannin were only hidden by means of tanning cream for the pale skin and simple contact lenses to hide those yellow snake like eyes. Maleficent theorized the man wanted to monitor the progress of his newest toy and how the Uchiha would handle the Curse Seal.

And then of course was the man's little glasses wearing spy by the name of Kabuto. The boy's team had passed easily enough. No scratches, marks, or anything to indicate they had been in a real fight.

And yet Kabuto raised his hand to indicate he was backing out.

'Seriously? He's got the word 'spy' practically written on his forehead. There is a Genjutsu over his headband hiding the symbol for Sound while making it look like its the Konoha one. Honestly, how can anyone _NOT_ see it?' thought Naruto while Kabuto left the arena to be escorted elsewhere.

Kabuto's forfeit aside, Naruto saw that no one else was willing to quit from here on out. They were tired, dirty, and complaining slightly over having to continue on immediately into a bunch of Preliminary matches, but were not about to quit now. Naruto understood that and respected their decision to continue. Why should they quit now? They made it this far when weaker Genin years older then them would have given up by this point.

"Let's see what these Genin can do. It should be interesting to see who fights who in this event," commented Maleficent while she glanced at Orochimaru and narrowed her eyes at him with a "I know who you are" look that made the Sannin's eyes go wide in shock that she could see through his disguise.

'She knows I am here. If the witch exposes me, sensei along with his ninja here will hunt me down, and make escaping extremely difficult. I only got in easily enough thanks to Danzo's manipulations of the patrol guards. I can't make an escape from here!' thought Orochimaru before glancing at Sarutobi Hiruzen and seeing the old man was distracted by the start of the Preliminary Matches.

Fortunately, a glance at Maleficent showed she held little interest in revealing the snake in the grass to the old monkey, and was also focusing on the match below. Glancing at the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, Orochimaru saw the blonde glancing at him before blue became crimson, and glowed for a second to tell the snake not to push his luck while here.

Focusing on the matches at hand, Naruto saw Sasuke had been up, and facing one of Kabuto's teammates. The guy apparently could drain chakra and took quite a bit of it from Sasuke before the Uchiha managed to come up with some weird combo to win. A combo which after seeing the shock and hearing the gasp from Rock Lee made Naruto realize whatever combo Sasuke used was some kind of copy if not rip off of a move Rock Lee used.

Typical Uchiha copying something they shouldn't with their damn eyes.

The next match was Aburame Shino and Zaku from Sound. The former remained stoic and emotionless in his approach to his opponent while said opponent had a broken arm thanks to the Uchiha. Still, Zaku's pride would not allow him to lose after getting so far with his injury, and against a freak with bugs coming out of his body. Using his one still useable hand, Zaku used his Decapitating Air Wave to blast Shino into smithereens.

The victory for him was short lived when it turned out the Shino in front of him had been in fact a Bug Clone made out of the bugs inside the Aburame's body. Spinning around, Zaku got the backhand of a fist to his face, sending him flying back, and landing on his back before glaring at his opponent. Remembering how he felt so weak growing up, Zaku decided to say "to Hell with it!", and in a surprise move used his broken hand to bring out another Decapitating Air Wave.

Or at the very least he tried to anyway, but found it wasn't working. It was upon closer inspection did Zaku realize his palms where the air waves came out of were _clogged_ with bugs. They had been swarming him almost since the match started, getting underneath his clothing in secret when knocked down, and after using his move on the Bug Clone while using the debris as cover. Now that the pipes in his arms were clogged tightly with bugs, the Genin from Sound was powerless, and was at the mercy of the unflinching Aburame in front of him.

Of course, as is with most people when panicking, they tend to do something stupid, and in Zaku's case he tried to go for broke. The boy had tried, to the shock of just about every single person around him watching, to use the pressure of the air in his arms to smash through the blockage, and hoped it would great a bigger air wave capable of destroying the Konoha Genin in front of him.

And in the process, the Sound Genin only succeeded in destroying his arms in a violent act of them both exploding from within via that same air pressure having no where else to go.

"That was nicely done," remarked Maleficent while watching Shino walking up the steps and the next match was called at random.

"The Aburame has great potential as a ninja with his skills. However, he relies too much on his insects. His greatest strength is also his biggest weakness," commented Naruto with Haku nodding in full agreement.

As for Shino himself, he had stopped walking for a brief moment to hear the words just spoken, and frowned in thought over what was said. It was true he did focus on using his insect colony more then anything else. However, Shino realized that relying too much on them for help could be unwise, as there were ninja out there who fought Aburame Clan members in the past, and knew how to counter the insects in their bodies. It has happened in all three Shinobi Wars in the past when fighting the other Shinobi villages. The use of poisonous gases, different elemental Jutsus that were designed around the destruction of a large area, and even some rare weapons with rumored to possess mystical properties to name a few.

'I should ask Father if it is possible to expand my horizons outside the use of my colony and into ninja arts. Maybe something along the line of swords or perhaps other weapons based off of the fighting styles similar to how certain insects fight,' thought Shino before rejoining his team.

Next up came Kabuto's other teammate fighting the Kazekage's eldest son Kankuro, who easily won his match by fooling his opponent into fighting his puppet. A puppet that had fooled everyone else in believe it was him and soundly defeated the seemingly tripled jointed man in battle.

"Something is off Mother. Both of Kabuto's teammates and Kabuto himself have skills beyond mere Genin. I believe they serve a certain snake in hiding," whispered Naruto to his Mother who nodded while she watched the competition carefully.

"Agreed. No doubt they are here to test the Uchiha's progress. The boy is Itachi's younger brother and apparently has the same Curse Seal poor Anko had before I altered it with my power years ago," remarked Maleficent while Anko was fighting back the desire to glare at her former sensei, but knew the former Fairy Queen wouldn't allow it.

"If what you told me about mine and the purpose of the Curse Seal is true, Orochimaru is after the Sharingan, and wants to inhabit the body of an Uchiha to get it. One he can mold to his liking and has time create a suitable means of holding his soul for a short time. If my former sensei does succeed, he can jump to another body, and still keep the bloodline with him so he can fulfill his crazy ambition of learning all the Jutsus in the world," said Anko while Maleficent scoffing at the notion of such an ambition.

That would be like learning all the magic spells from her time and Maleficent knew such a thing was impossible. Even _IF _she tried such an ambitious path similar to Orochimaru's own, Maleficent would never succeed due to there being too many to learn. Then there was also the fact _new_ magical spells and others powers being made by the fairies if not by nature itself back in her time almost every single day.

It was like trying to suck the Universe into a single portal of the abyss at the speed of a glacier.

"Such a dream is a fool's errand my dear. It will drive the Sannin mad if it hasn't already," said Maleficent while making sure her words while whispered, could be heard only by Orochimaru, and made the man frown angrily for a second.

'My ambition will not be denied. One day I will be strong enough to kill you and when I do, it will be a most joyous moment. I can only wonder what secrets your body holds that I will find once dissected,' thought Orochimaru before focusing on the matches in front of him.

As this happened, the matches became somewhat dull to a certain point. Sakura and Ino were doing battle against each other. The desire to prove they were kunoichi and rivals worthy of "their Sasuke-kun's affection" though it was clear the latter was more important on Sakura's mind. Ino had witnessed Sasuke's little dark manifested attack on the Sound team before she along with her two teammates could do anything to help team 7. It gave Ino a lot to think about since that point in time and was starting to grow out of her "I love Sasuke-kun!" phase in life.

Hence why the platinum blonde girl held only a _slight_ edge in the fight with Sakura, but due to not training as much, was not a big one, and the two were almost even. Almost. Ino did get some training from her sensei and at home when her Father was around with time to spare. While Sakura did get training from Kakashi, it focused on teamwork, and after that she spent her days shopping for new clothes, or read magazines designed to help girls attract that crush in their lives into being the "one true love" if they followed a few simple steps.

Sadly for Sakura, she couldn't even get past Step # 1.

While the two girls fought things out in the arena, Naruto decided to focus on something, or rather someone far more interesting. His eyes turned to Hyuuga Hinata and noticed she was looking at him as well before looking away with a slight blush on her face. Most likely being caught staring at him and was embarrassed by it. Naruto wasn't sure if she even remembered him or if Hiruzen had Inoichi or another Yamanaka dive in to her head to erase the moment they shared years ago from the Hyuuga's mind. What he did know was time had not been kind to the girl on a mental level in terms of her emotional state in terms of growing up. The other Hyuuga near her would occasionally glance at Hinata, the frown forming every so often, almost becoming a scowl, and the weak pulse of killer intent didn't help either. Not that anyone around them would sense or try to sense it given how everyone was focused on the fighting in the arena.

Though why anyone would be interested in two kunoichi who fought like they were kids on the playground at school was beyond Naruto's understanding.

Eventually, Ino was able to win the match despite her Mind Transfer Jutsu she learned from her Father surprisingly failing to fully take over Sakura. The platinum blonde had to use the moment Sakura was staggering from the aftereffects of the Jutsu to knock the girl out and be declared the winner. All the while mumbling to herself about Sakura having a second personality within her mind, which made one question the actual sanity of the pink haired girl.

The next match that followed was Inuzuka Kiba and the pale skinned fake smiling boy named Sai. Here, Naruto saw Kiba being his boastful self, saying his opponent was going to lose, and lose badly to the might of the Inuzuka Clan. Sai for his part just fake smiled at him and brought out his tanto while ignoring the taunting the Inuzuka was doing for the first five minutes since they started. When Kiba saw his boasting and taunting didn't work on Sai, the Inuzuka charged forward with his dog Akamaru right beside him being an exact duplicate of his Master.

That match was over almost instantly with Kiba being stabbed in the gut in a non vital area and Akamaru being knocked out by an elbow to the face. When Sai pressed the weapon against Kiba's throat, the referee Gekko Hayate declared the pale skinned boy the winner before anything worse could happen.

Following that brief moment in time, the screen on the wall went through random names until it stopped on two names that made one person gasp, and the other one grin with joy.

Hyuuga Hinata VS Hyuuga Neji.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that since it was a one in a million chance those two would be pitted against each other in this Preliminary part of the Chuunin Exams. The only way this could happen is if the names picked were not done at random and someone rigged this match to happen later on to make it _appear_ as if it was that one in a million shot in the dark. It was clear Hinata didn't want to fight Neji and rightfully so since girl did not like fighting her family in spars much less her cousin in the Branch family where they were slaves in all but name. She was always nice and kind to the Branch family, much to the displeasure of the Main family when they saw this, and did their best to stamp such niceness out of her.

Only to find nothing they did worked! They had Hinata's little sister Hanabi spar with the girl in the hopes they would see the eldest defeat the youngest as per the tradition of the Hyuuga Clan. Sadly, Hinata didn't put her whole heart into the spars since the idea of fighting against family in Gentle Fist felt wrong due to how dangerous the style was in Hinata's eyes. In fact, one of the main reasons Hinata hesitated when sparring with her family was due to how she saw a match once between two family members at the age of four.

She wasn't meant to see it, but being the curious wondering girl at that age, Hinata was able to find herself opening the door to one of the sparring rooms, and saw the brutality of a spar from a spectator's point of view. It had been a Main family member fighting a Branch family member with the former clearly being the stronger fighter. Whether or not the Branch family member held back out of fear of being hurt by the Cage Bird Seal was unknown at the time to Hinata, but the girl saw the Main family member decimated the Branch family member. In fact, the Main family member seemed to be enjoying it with his eyes glinting with bloodlust, brutalizing the Branch family member over and over again. Even when the fight ended, the Main family member spit down on the Branch family member, sneering at him, and mocking his defeated opponent for being so weak.

The poor girl ran from the area, instantly seeking out her Mother, and crying before she explained what happened to make her so sad. Hinata's Mother calmed her child and told Hiashi about what happened, but was clearly disappointed when Hiashi himself gave no outward concern for his daughter's crying at seeing two members of the family sparring. The man didn't even acknowledge the end result of the spar was wrong or planned to do anything about it in terms of reprimanding the Main family member who won the spar.

It had been a difficult moment for Hinata prior to her Mother's death and everything else that happened following with her Father getting colder. The Hyuuga Clan, which was supposed to be family, and bond as one was fracturing more with each passing day. The Branch family's resentfulness was growing, their hatred increasing, and it was only a matter of time before the hatred of being oppressed overpowered the fear of death or punishment via the Cage Bird Seal.

And now it seemed one of those moments was upon her with Neji getting ready to dish out his fury on his cousin with the situation allowing him zero restraint on how to crush Hinata. It had been something he had been hoping for either here or during the Chuunin Exam Finals if her team made it that far. Neji did not believe Hinata's team would make it through the first part of the Chuunin Exams with the written test, but surprisingly they did. He thought it was sheer luck for the most part, but the Hyuuga Prodigy knew deep down that the fates were conspiring against his cousin, and were planning to show just how weak Hinata truly was to the eyes of everyone around them.

And what better way then here. Granted Neji would have preferred a more public place like the arena during the Chuunin Exam Finals, but he was not one to question the powers that be, and took what was in front of him.

Besides, the audience around them was more then sufficient in his mind, as this match would be done in front of the Hokage, the many Jounin senseis in the room, the other Genin here, and of course the Yondaime's son his cousin secretly admired. Neji planned to make Hinata look worthless in the blonde's eyes. Let her see that she was nothing to Neji, the clan, and to Naruto in one single match.

He was going to break her. Right here. Right now.

"So it has come to this Hinata-sama. Our long awaited match. One without the Hyuuga Main family holding me back from showing you my power," remarked Neji while Hinata looked sad at seeing her cousin showing such hate.

"I wish we didn't have to fight like this Neji. We are family and family should not fight each other like this. However, I will fight you if I must. If only to prove I am strong like everyone else," replied Hinata while getting into her Gentle Fist stance, which mirrored Neji's, and glanced over at Naruto watching now with interest.

"Strong? Like everyone else? You have no strength Hinata-sama. You are weak. Always have been. Always will be. Fate has already determined this fight and I have won. You will soon realize that before this is over," remarked Neji while getting ready for Hayate to start the match.

'I am going to regret this. I just know it,' thought Hayate before signaling the match to start and saw Neji move in to dominate the match.

In the stands, Naruto, Maleficent, Anko, and Haku watched the match with sharp keen eyes which never missed a single action performed by either combatant. Neji was being the aggressor of the two, striking with the purpose of crippling his slightly younger, and less experienced cousin. Hinata for her part was showing she was quite agile when in a fight and was able to dodge the strikes aimed at the key parts of her body. When she was not dodging Neji's strikes, Hinata tried to deliver her own back in return, and was actually holding her ground if Shino's whispered assessment was indeed accurate.

Sadly, Naruto knew differently since he had seen some things others would possibly miss, and he was sure the others beside him saw it too.

"He's damaged her arms pretty badly," whispered Naruto with a look of concern in his eyes and saw Neji deliver an uppercut to the girl's face before delivering another blow that sent her flying back onto the ground.

"It is said the Hyuuga Clan's Gentle Fist Taijutsu focuses on shutting down chakra points of their targets using the Byakugan. It has the power to see those chakra points and shut them down with each strike using the chakra in their hands. By hitting the specific points all over the body, a person's chakra network cannot function, or if the Hyuuga wishes to be cruel...damage a person's internal organs without actually piercing the body," added Haku while seeing Hinata get up and Neji once more going on his brutal attack on the girl.

With his dominance being clear with each passing second, Neji decided to go in for the kill, and hit Hinata right at a point in her chest near the heart. The girl gasped in surprise and in pain before stumbling back, clutching her chest, and looking at Neji in shock that he would hit such a point in her body. She knew the chakra points of the body almost as well as Neji did and also knew that point when hit could cause serious damage to the heart muscles if not cause heart failure if left untreated. Before Hinata could even manage to speak, Neji was upon her again, hitting her in the stomach, making the girl cough up blood, and cause the girl further pain.

"You are beaten Hinata-sama. Within moments, you will go into cardiac arrest, and you will die. I will have gain justice for my Father's death for the good of the Main family and the clan will be rid of weak sniveling thing like you in the process. Not only that, but the boy you admired will watch it happen, and see just how pathetic your existence truly is before looking elsewhere to find his amusement," whispered Neji into Hinata's ear with a smirk on his face.

Before finding Hinata had, in a surprising move, hit him with her left hand right in the face with enough force to send him skidding away from the girl. Even after she collapsed to her knees, puking up more blood, Hinata refused to fall over completely, and give the referee the excuse to call the match. Even in her current state, she looked up at Naruto, and saw him nod in recognition before reading his lips as he voiced one silent command to her.

_"Get up. Get up and fight!"_

She didn't know why, but Hinata somehow found the strength, and determination to obey that one command given by Naruto. She didn't know what compelled her to rise despite Kurenai-sensei saying something along the lines of stopping the match or the other Genin above saying it was suicide to continue. All Hinata knew was Naruto had been watching her, saw only her, and saw she could still fight on if she continued to press on.

And press on she would. Not just for herself. Not just for the honor of the Hyuuga Clan Main family that despised her. Not even just for Naruto watching her now. But to show everyone her strength. Her power. Her resolve. She was going to show everyone here that Hyuuga Hinata was not some sheltered girl who was afraid of her own shadow.

And maybe...just maybe...this act of strength and determination would make her Father proud regardless if she lost in the end.

'This is not possible. She should be on the ground either dead or dying. Why is she still fighting? Why does she persist in defying fate?!' thought Neji, as he easily blocked her strikes, and knocked the girl back several times with each repelling strike being harsher then the last.

And yet still Hinata kept coming after him.

"You say we are prisoners of fate Neji. Yet you are the real prisoner. You have hated me so much for your Father's death. You hate me because I am of the Main family and you are of the Branch family. You are a prisoner to your own hatred and you don't even see or know it. All I can feel in my heart is sorrow for you Neji. All I can feel is sorrow and pity for you," whispered Hinata, but the silence around them allowed her words to echo, and shocked the Hyuuga Prodigy that she would say something like that.

Before the shock itself turned into anger.

"Sorrow? Pity?! I don't want either of those things from you! I WANT YOU TO DIE!" exclaimed Neji before charging forward, intent on killing his cousin, and righting the wrong that his Father suffered due to being born mere seconds after his twin Hiashi.

And as Neji charged at Hinata, the said girl could only stare at him, openly defenseless against his attack aimed to send her to the next world. It seemed like this was the end of her life. Hinata would die by her own cousin's hands and if she was indeed fortunate upon death to see her Kaa-san again...then maybe death wasn't so bad after all.

As for Neji himself, his attack would have killed Hinata instantly. _IF_ he had successfully hit her. Before the Hyuuga Prodigy could finish the girl off, he was violently yanked back by his sensei by the neckline of his shirt, and was kept in place by the other three Jounin senseis of the village.

In the end, it was probably for the best due to the reason Gai had pulled Neji back had been the giant sword known as Kubikiribocho had been within an _inch_ of slicing through the Hyuuga boy's neck. As things stood, the sword was piercing the ground at a diagonal angle from where it had been thrown by Naruto, who was now by Hinata's side, holding her close, and staring into those lavender eyes. Eyes he had not recognized until recently and was surprised to see her smiling up at him despite blood leaving both sides of her mouth.

"I see it in your eyes. You remember me," whispered Hinata while Naruto's eyes widened in shock at her words and time seemed to slow down around them.

"Your memories weren't erased or altered like mine," whispered Naruto while Hinata just smiled further since she had recently suspected it was the case when they met each other after so long and he didn't even recognize her when with the rest of her team.

"Father wouldn't allow it. He feared the Yamanaka Clan would learn something about my eyes or some clan secret I witnessed growing up. He felt the memory of you saving me was a punishment in itself. To hurt me for being so weak back than. He felt it dishonored the Hyuuga Clan that someone outside of our blood saved me from those bullies. That I would remember you, yet it would not be the other way around. I wanted to find you. I wanted to tell you what you did for me. To thank you. But my Father wouldn't let me. He refused to let me leave the clan home without an escort and made sure I never interacted with you," replied Hinata while Naruto became angry inside at how _stupid_ people were in this village regarding how they raised their children.

"I only recently remembered you. Remembered what I had done to warrant my memories of our moment together lost. Had I known what I do now...," replied Naruto, but was cut off by Hinata coughing and suddenly having a spasm while gripping the boy's arms.

"We need a medic! Now!" exclaimed Kurenai worriedly, as she looked behind her to see Hinata struggling to survive.

"There will be no need for that," remarked Maleficent, as she appeared behind her son in a ethereal green flame, and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Step away from the Hyuuga Heiress now Maleficent. You too Naruto. Let the Medic Nins trained in this matter handle her care," commanded the Sandaime Hokage, but was ignored when Maleficent kneeled down to examine Hinata herself, and saw the girl was indeed in trouble.

"Such a critical blow to the heart, as well as other injuries from the fighting style your clan uses. If I wasn't so disgusted by the actions of your cousin, I might actually be quite impressed, and applaud the fighting style known as Gentle Fist," remarked Maleficent while Hinata watched the woman place a hand on her chest and felt the power of the dark witch wash over her.

"Get away from her now!" commanded Kurenai and she moved to get them away from her student.

Only to be blocked by a barrier of ice mirrors and the trench coat of Anko's sleeves now producing a small swarm of snakes from each side.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," remarked Anko while Haku's form appeared in the ice mirrors with senbon needles in hand.

"You would only get in the way and get hurt," added Haku firmly while keeping an eye on all the Jounin in the room and the Hokage.

"Don't worry my dear. You fought well. You have nothing to be ashamed about. Your cousin on the other hand...that is another matter entirely," said Maleficent while she used her power to heal Hinata and watched the girl being helped up by Naruto while he rubbed the girl's back to make her feel better.

"Thank you for coming to my aid Naruto-kun. And thank you healing all of my injuries Maleficent-sama. I am in your debt," replied Hinata, as she slowly moved away from Naruto's embrace, and bowed to the woman who proclaimed herself the boy's Mother.

"Think nothing of it my dear. My son is the one who truly deserves your praise," replied Maleficent while watching Hinata nodding and in an act of impulse gave Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek before blushing up a storm while the blonde Uzumaki did the same at the surprising move by the girl.

"Thank you again Naruto-kun," said Hinata with a smile while Naruto himself smiled behind his bandages on his face just below where the girl had kissed him.

"No problem Hinata-chan," replied Naruto while Anko and Haku retracted their choice of weapons back to allow Hinata's Jounin sensei to pass.

"I'm glad you are okay Hinata. Come on. Let's get you checked out by Tsunade-sama just to be safe," said Kurenai while she slowly moved Hinata away from Naruto, but sent him, and Maleficent a look of appreciation.

"How pathetic. It would have been more merciful to let her die," remarked Neji while glaring at Hinata before focusing on Naruto, who picked up his sword, and glared at the Hyuuga.

"And why is that?" asked Naruto with Neji sneering.

"Because once back home, her Father will have no choice but to make Hinata a part of the lowest ranks of Branch family. He will mark her with the Cage Bird Seal just like I was years ago. The suffering Hinata-sama will go through in the following years will be long and immense. Of course, she is biggest failure of the clan so it is only right such a person be placed among the lowest of servants," replied Neji while Naruto scowled at him.

"Are you not one of those lowly servants yourself? You are a Branch family member after all, correct?" questioned Haku while Neji turned his glare at her.

"I was born into such servitude. Hinata is a spoiled and weak child. Everything has been handed to her. Once Hinata-sama made a servant of the Main family, she will crumble under the demand they put on her, and will have no choice but to suffer in silence," said Neji with a smirk on his face now at the thought of his cousin suffering.

"You actually enjoy the idea of her suffering like that. Seeing your own blood in pain. You are a disgusting creature," remarked Naruto with Neji's smirk leaving and the glare returned.

"I do not answer to you son of the Yondaime. The fact you would defend Hinata-sama means you are just as pathetic as she is, if not more. Of course, what would one expect of someone who hides behinds his surrogate _demon Mother_ for protection," countered Neji before he was bombarded by killer intent from Naruto and the blonde was in front of him in an instant with the sword already in swinging down position.

The three Jounin around Neji tried to react, but it was as if time froze for them when seeing Naruto attack Neji with the Kubikiribocho swinging down vertically to slice the boy in half. The attack itself would have struck true, ending Neji for his insult not only against Naruto, but Hinata too over the fact the Hyuuga Prodigy enjoyed the idea of seeing the girl suffer at home.

Key words being "would have", as in it was denied due to a wall of green magic energy blocking the blade a few mere inches from the intended target. The shockwave behind the impact sent Naruto and the three Jounin around Neji flying back several feet before he turned in shock to look at his Mother.

'She blocked my attack. But...why?' thought Naruto before looking back at a smirking Neji.

"See? Fate has sided with me this day. Even your so called Mother has defended me from your wrath. Perhaps her love for you is not as strong as you thought," taunted Neji with Naruto's anger growing considerably and crimson demonic chakra starting to become visible around him until a fox's head appeared above.

And making a lot of people in the stands very nervous.

"Enough Naruto!" commanded Maleficent before stomping her staff on the ground and her power washed over the room to make her son stop.

"Mother?" asked Naruto in confusion on why was she holding him back from killing this fool in front of them while the fox's power receded back into his body.

"There is a time and a place for unleashing your fury on this idiot Naruto. Now is not the time," said Maleficent while seeing Naruto reluctantly concede to her words since he knew she was right and restrained himself from lashing out further.

"I am going to check on Hinata-chan. Come along Haku-chan. I think another friendly face will make her feel better," stated Naruto while walking out of the arena to go to the medical area where Tsunade was giving Hinata a once over.

"Yes Naruto-sama," said Haku while at the same time feeling a small hint of annoyance for some unknown reason within her at seeing this girl from Konoha catch Naruto's eyes with each passing moment.

"Such a weakling. To think he is the Yondaime Hokage's son. He's not worthy of that right," commented Neji before finding himself being thrust forward by an outside source and found himself in the iron grip of Maleficent.

"My son is _NOT_ a weakling you disrespectful worm. I did not spare your miserable life out of some misplaced love for you or any misguided belief you follow. I spared your miserable life because _death_ at the hands of my son at this point in time would be far too merciful for the likes of you. My son has a good heart and a mean temper when it comes to those close to him being mocked or hurt by the likes of disgusting filth like yourself. As such, he tends to lash out violently at his target without taking time to consider the idea of making his enemies suffer. It is something we have to work on in the future. _I _on the other hand have no such problem in making my enemies or my son's enemies suffer," replied Maleficent while her power swarmed heavily around them while her eyes glowed when staring at Neji.

'I can't move my body. I can barely breathe! Why isn't anyone stopping her?' thought Neji while being able to glance at some of the Jounin in the room and saw just about everyone was frozen in place yet very much awake for this moment.

"You claim fate is on your side and thus the reason for your victory over your cousin. But I say otherwise Hyuuga Neji. It was not fate that allowed you to win, nor was it fate that spared you an instant death at the hands of my son. It was the seemingly infinite love of your cousin, which prevented her from using the Cage Bird Seal on _your _head. It was _my _power and intervention that prevented Naruto from slicing your body in half. You only live now in my grip because I allow it. If I chose to be cruel, I could turn you into the lowest form of organic life this world has to offer, and summon a creature which devours it slowly while watching the event unfold with a smile on my face," explained Maleficent with her evil and devious smile not leaving her now while putting pressure on Neji's face in his frozen state.

"You...wouldn't...dare! The Hokage...would...stop you!" protested Neji while finding his mouth was given a small bit of movement to allow him to talk...if barely.

"Your Hokage? Stop me? Let me tell you something about your precious Hokage. Your Hokage is a _liar_ and a _thief_! He lied to my son for years. He tried to manipulate things so Naruto would be a loyal, obedient, and clueless servant of this wretched village. A village that would sooner kill my son, throw his body into a tiny ditch in order to be either be eaten by wild animals, or simply be set on fire for their own sick amusement while they danced around the hole with glee. Your precious Hokage stole my son's childhood by letting everyone hate him and doing _nothing_ to stop the abuse. The Hokage chose to let people step all over Naruto rather then step on _their_ throats and exert _his authority_ as the ruler of this village out of _fear_ he would somehow be replaced by someone in the village who would want following their way of thinking. As things currently stand, he will do nothing simply because the Hokage can do _nothing_!" replied Maleficent while Neji grit his teeth at feeling the tightening pressure of the woman's hand on his face.

How was this woman so physically strong?

"The...village...will...go to...war. Nami...will...suffer!" stated Neji in an attempt to make the woman see her fighting an entire ninja village would hurt the people of Nami and play on her part as a proper ruler.

"Oh I'm sure the idea will cross their minds. I'm sure it already has since they learned I was the one who took my son away from this wretched village. But it matters not. This village's quest for war will end in failure and those influencing such an action will fall soon enough," replied Maleficent cryptically while Neji tried to glare defiantly at her.

"If you...are so...confident...then...then why...not kill me...now?" questioned Neji with Maleficent smiling evilly at her.

"A tempting idea to be sure. But now is not the time for you to die. Suffer? Yes. Die? No. Not yet," commented Maleficent while her power began spiraling around like a vortex and it was making Neji increasingly nervous.

"Nothing...you...say or do...will...will...change...my...mind...about...Hinata-sama's future. She will...suffer at...the hands of...the clan...regardless!" stated Neji with Maleficent eyes glowing in a very evil light.

"Never say never child. You have no idea what I can do and you have yet to see my son unleash his full power. Or _me_ for that matter," said Maleficent while a dark apparition manifested behind her and Neji's eyes widened in horror at the sight of it.

And what was it he was seeing exactly?

Well if you said a giant winged dragon, with scales as black as the darkest of shadows, breathing out greenish black flames, and looking ready to devour you whole...then you answered correctly!

With her point having been made, Maleficent let go of Neji, and walked away from the boy now on his knees with fear in his eyes. Not surprising really when factoring in what he saw was truly monstrous to see much less feel in terms of the dragon's supernatural presence.

"Neji? Are you all right?" asked Gai once the power holding him and the others back had vanished.

"Did you see that?" whispered Neji while Gai frowned.

"See what Neji? What did you see just now? What did Maleficent-sama show you with her power?" asked Gai with concern while Neji tried to comprehend what it was he just saw.

"A monster. I saw...a monster," whispered Neji while Gai helped him up and help the boy up to the balcony.

'What was that? I couldn't move a single muscle. I couldn't even access my chakra! I was quite literally a living statue!' thought the Sandaime Hokage while glancing from Neji to Maleficent with a mixture of awe, fear, and a hint of anger with the last part because of what she had called him during that little talk with Neji.

The ever present threat Maleficent posed to him, Konoha, and his plans for Naruto only became more apparent with each passing day.

(With Naruto)

"What was that?" asked Tsunade when she sensed that something was off shortly before Naruto and Haku entered the room to see her checking up on Hinata.

"My Mother enforcing her presence most likely," remarked Naruto with a smirk before he focused on the shy girl near him after getting a clean bill of health from Tsunade.

"Maleficent-sama can be quite scary when provoked. No doubt Neji-san said something that required she use her power the way she did," commented Haku while keeping her masked face on Hinata and felt a twinge of..._something_ when staring at the girl.

"Indeed. So what is the news Tsunade-san? Is Hinata-chan fully healed?" asked Naruto with Tsunade quickly glancing at him, the door leading to the arena, and back again to the Hyuuga girl.

"At the moment, she is healed though there is some mild trace of blood in Hinata's lungs despite everything your..._Mother_ did in healing her Naruto. However, my advice to you Hinata, is to take it easy for the rest of the day and mostly tomorrow before doing any heavy training. I don't know what Maleficent did with her power so I just want you to be careful," answered a concerned Tsunade while Hinata nodded.

"Of course Tsunade-sama," replied Hinata respectfully while Tsunade decided to go to the actual arena to see how the other competitors were doing rather then waiting for the causalities to be brought to her.

"You fought well against your cousin," commented Naruto with Hinata blushing slightly from his praise since she thought otherwise, which made her frown slightly.

"I still lost," said Hinata sadly.

"You lost with honor. Not many can say that. Besides, did you want to take the easy way out?" questioned Naruto with Hinata frowning in confusion.

"Easy way out?" said Hinata in confusion with Naruto smirking and just pointing to his forehead.

"Neji's seal. The one he has on his forehead. The one that gives all members of the Main family of your clan the power to force them into submission through extreme pain. You could have used it when the match started and ultimately humiliated Neji in front of just about everyone watching," replied Naruto with Hinata's eyes widening in surprise since few outside the clan new about Neji even being a Branch family member or what the Cage Bird Seal did those among their ranks.

"You know about the seal?" asked Hinata in shock.

"Yep! Itachi-sensei went on a few missions with a couple of Branch family members from your clan when he was still apart of Konoha. He saw the seal on one of them and politely asked about it out of some form of curiosity when beyond the village's walls," replied Naruto with Hinata nodding in understanding.

"I see. As to why I didn't use the seal...it felt wrong. If I was going to fight Neji, I wanted it to be a fair match, and to show everyone I could fight without the use of such a thing. I have seen the Hyuuga Main family to use it against the Branch family when in spars and force them into submission while they rolled on the floor in pain. If I did that to Neji, I would be no better then them. I...I couldn't do that to him. Not after everything he went through. Everything he lost," explained Hinata before she told them about Kumo and what they tried to pull when she was only three years old.

"I see. So that is the reason for his hatred. Misguided and pointless as it is in terms of aiming it at you, but that explains some things," commented Naruto while narrowing his eyes and glancing at the door.

"Indeed it does my son," replied Maleficent, as she appeared from the shadows of the doorway, and approached the shy Hyuuga girl.

"Maleficent-sama!" exclaimed Hinata in shock before bowing humbly in her presence, which made the woman smile, and let out an amused chuckle.

"You do not need to bow to me child. You've done enough of that for one day," remarked Maleficent with Hinata nodding while trying not to feel intimidated by this woman.

Nice or not, Hinata knew this woman was not someone you challenged in any shape or form...unless of course you were suicidal. If you were, then by all means please do upset the woman to your heart's content.

"The remaining matches do not interest you Kaa-san?" asked Naruto curiously while the woman shrugged.

"After the little stunt the boy pulled on young Hinata here, everyone still participating in the Preliminaries were given a nice 10 minute break. At my _insistence_ of course," replied Maleficent with a small smile of devious amusement on her face.

"Naturally," remarked Naruto with smirk behind his bandages.

"Before we go back to see the fights, I wanted to ask Hinata here something about what Neji made comments about your future. Something regarding your Father and clan seeing your loss as an insult to the Main family. A loss which they intend to punish you for by having you become a Branch family member yourself and using the Cage Bird Seal. Is this true?" questioned Maleficent with Hinata flinching now and nodding with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Yes. He will. My Father does not approve of the way I do things. My slight hesitation in fighting other clansmen in spars. My kindness toward the Branch family. Even if I had not lost my match here today, he would most likely decree my younger sister is a much worthier candidate to be the next Clan Head, and I would be sent to the Branch family regardless. All I have given them was an excuse to speak out about it at the next meeting they will no doubt have shortly upon our return to the village," answered Hinata in a sad tone and it made Naruto's eyes narrow and his blood boil.

"What they are doing to their own clan is barbarism. Pure and simple," remarked Naruto while Haku and Maleficent agreed.

"What others would say is barbaric about the Cage Bird Seal, the Hyuuga Clan has called tradition for generations, and has been since before the formation of the Shinobi villages when clans roamed endlessly through the Elemental Countries. The Cage Bird Seal was created in order to protect the Byakugan from falling into the hands of rivals or enemies who wish to learn our secrets," countered Hinata though she had to admit the use of the seal's secondary act was indeed cruel and barbaric.

"No offense Hinata-chan, but if the Hyuuga Clan as a whole were really so righteous and passionate about such a means to protect the Byakugan, the Cage Bird Seal would be on everyone's heads. Not only that, but they wouldn't have a pain section on the seal, which targets the brain when triggered, and fries the brain while the person is still alive," said Naruto with Maleficent and Haku nodding while Hinata also nodded, but still had a look of sadness on her face.

"I know. I had hoped to one day become Head of the Hyuuga Clan and use my position to fix the growing divide our family has been suffering for years. Because of the incident when I was three with Kumo trying to kidnap me, it has gotten worse, and I fear our clan will violently implode on itself," said Hinata with concern and it was clear to the three that the girl cared about the Hyuuga Clan from which she came from even if the clan did not return the sentiment.

"At the rate things are currently going if Neji's actions are anything to go by, it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better, and the implosion you mentioned is going to happen sooner then later," added Naruto while his eyes were filled with sadness at seeing Hinata saddened by the prospect of such a thing happening.

"Unless an intervention of sorts comes along before the implosion happens. Something that will save the clan from itself in one shape or form," concluded Maleficent with a small smile on her face and a scheme forming that would hurt Konoha, the Hokage, and those traditionalist type fools within the Hyuuga Clan.

Yes. Nothing like a little outside intervention to shake things up a bit. If the Hokage, who clearly knew about such barbarism within the Hyuuga Clan, refused to do anything about it regardless of the laws protecting such things...then perhaps a Daimyo from another nation should. And not just her. Other nations would have to be made aware of it and put pressure on the issue to the point where the Hyuuga would have not choice _but _to submit to change. If they would not respond to change with the subtly and gracefulness of a soft feather, then they would be forced to with the bluntness of a battle mace.

And if worse came to worse, Maleficent was sure she could grant the Hyuuga Clan a place in Nami...for a price!

(A/N: YAY! Another long chapter for you guys. Hope the Preliminaries were okay. As for those competing whom you didn't see yet, just picture it similar to the cannon from hear on out with the exception of Matsuri, who (spoiler alert for my fic) lost to Lee. Yes, Shikamaru beat Kin. Yes Temari beat Tenten. Dosu defeated Choji. So on and so forth. Next up? The Chuunin Exam Finals and the match between Naruto and Kakashi, which will be pretty awesome (if I do it correctly) when you read it. That will no doubt take some time so be patient with me. Until next time...PEACE!)


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